Support for master's students varies by program. Prospective and current students are encouraged to first speak to their department program director for specific details on the financial support packages available, along with any employment questions.

Financial aid packages from The Graduate School for master's students are limited to the federal aid offered by the Federal Direct Loan Program. In order to be considered for federal financial aid, which includes Federal Work Study (FWS) funding, students are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

Note: To receive any form of federal student aid, students must be enrolled at least half-time and be United States citizens or eligible non-citizens.

If you meet the eligibility requirements, please continue to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa and follow the steps to submit. Graduate students are considered independent, and as such parental income is not required. New FAFSA's are available every October 1st for the corresponding year. 

Duke Graduate School FAFSA School Code: 002920.

FAFSA Priority Deadlines:

Incoming Admitted Students: March 15

  • Please allow approximately two to four weeks after we have received your FAFSA to determine aid eligibility. Afterwards incoming students will receive a Financial Aid Offer Notification via email to review. You may reach out to our office directly to find out if we have successfully received your FAFSA.

Non-admitted students that have submitted a FAFSA to Duke will not be able to be reviewed.

Continuing Students: May 1

The priority deadlines listed above are only for those looking to hear back within a certain timeframe (before the admission's deadline). We review FAFSA's on a rolling basis throughout the year, so if you do not meet the priority deadline, we will still be able to complete our review and offer you aid.

**Please note that Duke Graduate School does not require or review the CSS Profile for Financial Aid review purposes. 

Please reach out to grad-finaid@duke.edu for more questions. 

Research and Travel Support

The Graduate School also offers a limited number of competitive Dean’s Research Awards for Master’s Students, which may help fund research travel, conference travel, or the purchase of materials and supplies to support research relevant to degree completion.

You can find more helpful information in our financial aid FAQs. For more questions please contact us at grad-finaid@duke.edu.