Duke University to provide full tuition for NC and SC families with incomes below $150,000
Duke University announced Tuesday it will provide full tuition grants for undergraduate students from North Carolina and South Carolina whose family incomes total $150,000 or less.
The grants go into effect beginning in the fall 2023 semester.
Duke students from the Carolinas with family incomes of $65,000 or less will also receive financial assistance for housing, meals and some course materials or other campus expenses, without the need for student loans, according to Duke.
According to Duke, qualifying first-year students, sophomores, juniors and seniors from the Carolinas will receive financial aid statements by July 1 that reflect the new commitment. Duke students from military families with a legal residence in the Carolinas are eligible even if their families are not stationed there.
Natasha Singh, is a North Carolina native and feels Duke’s new program is necessary. That’s more than $63,000 a year.
"Being from a state like North Carolina and having the opportunity to go to a school like Duke can really help put certain kids in a much better position than if they didn’t have that kind of opportunity," Singh said.
Duke expects about 340 students will benefit from the tuition grants in the 2023-24 academic year.
“We want to make it easier for families to choose Duke,” said Gary Bennett, dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. “Attending college can expand a family’s opportunities for generations, and we aim to make the Duke experience as widely accessible as we can.”
According to the university, Duke has more undergraduate students from North Carolina than from any other state.
The financial assistance is funded through university resources and is expected to increase grant assistance to North and South Carolina students by about $2 million for the 2023-24 academic year, according to Duke.
Kayli Keonig, a high school senior on a college visit from Virginia, was glad to see the announcement.
"I think it’s a really big opportunity that will help people out," Keonig said.
Duke estimates investing an additional $6 million to $7 million per year to provide increased assistance over the next five years.
More information can be found online.
