How financial aid works at the professional schools

Students pursuing master's degrees at the Divinity School and the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences often enter careers that are beneficial to society but not as financially rewarding as other professions. To support the goals of these students and to minimize the burden of debt they will carry with them after graduation, Duke offers as much scholarship aid as operating budgets and endowment income will allow. In 2005-06, 85 percent of all Divinity School students and 70 percent of all master's candidates at the Nicholas School received some form of financial aid.

Duke's School of Medicine admits many of the best students in the world, and through a combination of grants and loans, the school is committed to meeting the full demonstrated need of these students. In 2005-06, almost 90 percent of Duke's medical students received some form of aid, and in 2006, the graduating class left Duke with one of the lowest levels of indebtedness among students at any private or state-supported medical school. Duke keeps student debt down by providing grants and by using outside scholarships-such as funding from a community group or medical foundation-to replace loans rather than reduce Duke-funded awards. Duke's School of Nursing has more limited resources for student aid. While the Medical Center offers significant tuition assistance to qualified employees and loan reimbursement to qualified new nurses, the majority of the school's students must rely on a combination of loans and modest need-based grants to fund their studies.

Duke’s School of Law and Fuqua School of Business have developed exceptional programs and reputations; however, they cannot always compete with the financial aid packages offered by peer institutions. To support and attract the best students and to encourage diversity among them, these schools offer a limited amount of grant funding to students of exceptional promise. In 2005-06, about 60 percent of law students and 35 percent of MBA students in aid-eligible programs received grant support from Duke.

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