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• Overview |
• Merit Scholarships |
• Federal Stafford Loans |
• Federal Perkins Loan |
• Graduate PLUS Loan  |
• Work-Study |
• Alternative Student Loan |
• International Student Loans |

Overview of Types of Financial Assistance for The Duke MBA—Daytime Program

Duke's Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) also provides several assistance programs to reduce this financial burden and attract the most talented students dedicated to making a positive difference in the world. In addition to other sources of financial aid at Fuqua, Daytime MBA students and alumni with an interest in the social sector may be eligible for the following programs:

Merit Scholarships

Every admitted applicant will be considered for a merit scholarship and if selected to be a recipient, will receive notification of their award approximately one week after their admission. The criteria for selection include prior academic achievement, demonstrated qualities of leadership, involvement in the community, extracurricular activities, and professional accomplishments. These awards are for the two year duration of the MBA program and range from partial tuition to full tuition. We do not have funding for new awards in the second year. Thus, students who enroll without scholarship funding should not anticipate an award for the second year of the program.

A generous scholarship program for minority students is funded by Fuqua and a variety of corporate donors. A complete listing of these scholarships is published in the Fuqua Bulletin. Selection of recipients for these named awards is made during the summer or fall semester. These awards replace, but would not be less than, funds already received.

Named Awards

Fuqua merit award recipients are automatically considered for named scholarships funded by Fuqua and corporate sponsors. A separate selection process to award named scholarships is conducted during the summer or fall semester. These named awards replace merit awards already received, and do not provide additional funds to the recipient. These awards are considered academic honors that may be included on your resume. No additional information or form is required to be considered.

Keller Scholars

The Keller Scholarships are the most prestigious awards granted to incoming Fuqua students. The Keller Scholars are named in honor of Dr. Thomas Keller, the former dean of the Fuqua School of Business, who led Fuqua from a small regional business school to a position of international prominence in less than a decade. These awards are funded by Fuqua, endowed funds, and corporate donors. The merit scholarship committee selects those to be considered for these awards after considering excellence in academic endeavors and a strong commitment of improving their communities through leadership and service.

Federal Stafford Loans

The annual loan limit for the Federal Stafford Loan (Subsidized and Unsubsidized combined) is $20,500.  Current Federal Stafford Loans have a 6.8 percent fixed interest rate.  Interests rates are set by the Department of Education and do not vary with lenders. 

Repayment begins six-months after graduation or termination of enrollment.  The minimum payment per month during repayment is $50, and the maximum repayment period is ten years using the standard repayment plan. 
Generally, a 3 percent federal origination fee and a 1 percent lender guarantee fee are deducted from each disbursement of this loan; however some lenders may reduce these fees.

Subsidized Stafford Loan

The Subsidized Federal Stafford loan is based on financial need* and is federally subsidized (interest paid during in-school enrollment and grace period by the federal government).  This enables graduate students to borrow up to $8,500 per academic year, with an aggregate loan limit of $65,500 (undergraduate and graduate combined).

*Eligibility for a subsidized loan is determined by using information provided in FAFSA results.

Unsubsidized Stafford Loan

The Unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan has the same terms and conditions as the subsidized Stafford Loan.  Graduate unsubsidized Stafford Loan borrowers may borrow the difference between any subsidized Stafford Loan up to the maximum loan amount of $20,500 per academic year.  The borrower is responsible for the interest that accrues during the in-school enrollment and the six-month grace period.

As interest accrues you may pay it while in school, or you can allow the lender to capitalize these charges and add them to the loan principal at the start of repayment. Students can borrow from the subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loan program in one application. 

The aggregate loan limit for the federal Stafford Loan program is $138,500 (undergraduate and graduate combined).

You may visit the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) website to track the history of your federal student loan borrowing: http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/

You must choose a lender to apply for this loan program.

Please refer to the Duke University Recommended Lender List for some participating lenders. 

Federal Perkins Loan

Applicable only to students in The Duke MBA-Daytime program, this is a federal student loan program, which is campus-based and administered by Duke University and The Fuqua School of Business.

The annual federally authorized loan limit provides for loans up to $6,000 per academic year, with an aggregate loan limit of $40,000 per student. Due to limited funding, we are unable to offer this loan to all eligible students with financial need. The Fuqua School of Business awards these funds based on a student's determined financial need and available loan funds. The interest rate on Federal Perkins Loan is fixed at 5 percent and is subsidized during in-school enrollment and the 9-month grace period. The interest will begin to accrue nine months after graduation or termination of enrollment.

Disbursement of loan proceeds are made in two equal payments at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters.

Duke University's Student Loan Office will send recipients a Federal Perkins Loan Master Promissory Note, disclosure form, and other required documents that must be completed to receive this loan.

Federal Graduate PLUS Loan

The Graduate PLUS Loan is a credit-based federal student loan program with an 8.5 percent fixed interest rate.  Through this loan program, students may borrow up to their Cost of Attendance less other financial aid.  Before a student may apply for this loan program, he/she must complete the FAFSA and should be awarded the maximum Federal Stafford Loan ($20,500) for the academic year. Students should contact their lender of choice to apply for this loan for pre-approval.

There are two fees deducted from this loan:

1. A Guarantee/Federal Default Fee: up to 1 percent (Some lenders waive or reduce this fee)
2. An Origination Fee: 3 percent (Deducted from loan amount)

Repayment on this loan begins within sixty days of final loan disbursement. However, if the borrower is remaining in-school, they will automatically be granted the in-school deferment based on school certification.

After the borrower graduates or terminates their enrollment, the borrower may align their repayment of the Graduate PLUS loan with the six-month grace period on a Stafford loan through a forbearance request.

You must choose a lender to apply for this loan program.

Please refer to the Duke University Recommended Lender List for some participating lenders. 

Federal Work-Study Program

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program is federally funded and supports the employment of students while they are in school. Once students complete the FAFSA and establish employment, they must visit our Financial Aid Office to be reviewed for FWS eligibility and to complete a Work-Study Authorization Form for payroll purposes. With Federal Work-Study, the federal funds and The Fuqua School of Business pay a student's salary jointly.

Students are responsible for securing their own employment within the school, which offers a variety of employment opportunities for interested students. Fuqua students average working six to eight hours per week and are paid by the hour biweekly for the hours worked.

Federal Work-Study awards are contingent on adequate federal funds being received by the University.

Please note that not all student positions require Federal Work-Study funding.

Alternative Student Loan Program

Alternative student loans are often referred as private student loans.  For many students, alternative student loans are used to supplement or replace the personal resources used in determining eligibility for Federal Student Aid.  Generally, such loan programs provide for deferment of payments while the student is enrolled full-time and offers a six to nine month grace period (depending on the loan program) after graduation before repayment begins.  This loan may be used to cover remaining expenses up to the cost of attendance for the academic year.
Please note that students should secure a Federal Stafford Loan first before applying for an alternative student loan.

You must choose a lender to apply for this loan program.

Please refer to the Duke University Recommended Lender List for some participating lenders.

International Student Loans

For the next academic year, our international students will be able to secure loans for their studies at Fuqua without the need for a U.S. co-signer.

We are very pleased to announce a pending arrangement with a local lending institution to provide international student loans next year at the very competitive rate of prime plus 5% with no origination fee.  With the current prime rate of 3.25%, the rate would be 8.25%.  These loans will not require a U.S. co-signer.   As the agreement proposes that Duke University and the Fuqua School of Business will provide guaranty against loan losses of the lender, this agreement must be approved by Duke's Board of Trustees on June 19.  We expect to have the loan application available soon.

We sincerely thank you for your patience as we've worked through this difficult process.  The financial crisis severely affected the availability and quality of international student loan options, and although it has taken us some time, we felt it was critical to not only secure a new loan option for you, but also make sure that it had attractive borrowing terms.