Purpose
To provide eligible Ph.D. students with financial assistance through reimbursement of dependent premium insurance expenses.
Policy
The Dependent Insurance Assistance Fund will reimburse eligible Ph.D. students a maximum of $500 per academic year for paid health, dental, or vision insurance premiums. The funding for these resources is not graduate program/department-based and are centralized resources managed within The Graduate School (TGS).
Please be aware that this funding is limited and not all requests may be able to be met through this source. Funding amounts may vary based on demonstrated need, and requests are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis through the application portal. Emailed requests, either from individual students or graduate program leadership, cannot be considered.
Program funds will be available on an annual academic year basis until depletion. Funding cannot be transferred to other Ph.D. students or carried over to future academic years. All funds awarded are subject to taxation based on the tax withholding rate set by the IRS.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled in their Ph.D. program, making satisfactory academic progress, and either not expected or approved to graduate in the same term as the application submission. Students on a leave of absence or who are currently enrolled at another Duke school as part of a combined degree program are ineligible.
Dependent insurance-related expenses must be paid by the student to be eligible, with documentation provided. Students may apply once per academic year until graduation from their Ph.D. program.
Qualified expenses include dependent health insurance premiums, dependent dental insurance premiums, and/or dependent vision insurance premiums.
Additional Details
Upon initial review, further documentation may be requested. Submitting an incomplete application may lead to a delay in the review of a student’s request. Students must report in the application if they’ve either applied for or expect to apply for emergency funding from other university sources.
Applications will not be reviewed during non-business hours and Duke-recognized holidays. The review timeline will begin once it reaches TGS and may vary, depending on overall application volume and request complexity.
All decisions and related communications will occur through Duke-issued email addresses. It is the applicant's responsibility to review related communications.
Payment distribution of approved applications will occur via non-compensatory payroll and in accordance with existing Duke Payroll monthly deadlines and schedule. Exceptions to this timeline can neither be expedited nor processed.
i. Primary Contact: grad-finaid@duke.edu
ii. Last reviewed: November 17, 2025