Financial Aid

Financial aid is awarded to most graduate students for five years of study and sometimes longer. First year awards are given competitively to the strongest entering graduate students judged on prior academic records. Additional summer employment is often available. From the second through the fifth year, tuition and registration fee scholarships will continue for students doing satisfactory work. Usually stipends for advanced students are in the form of teaching assistantships or research assistantships on faculty-directed research projects. Other support is available through University fellowships (e.g. James B. Duke, Duke Endowment, Latin American Studies, Baugh, or International), external fellowships (e.g., the National Science Foundation), and traineeships available in certain programs (e.g., various International Studies programs, Center for Aging and Human Development, Center for Demographic Studies). Advanced students can compete for dissertation fellowships and for university instructorships to teach undergraduate courses. Dissertation travel awards and dissertation research awards are available on a competitive basis from the Graduate School. The Graduate School and the Department maintain a fund for students traveling to professional conferences to present research papers. The Department assists students in identifying and applying for pertinent external grants and fellowships. Finally, the graduate school can often subsidize a visit to Duke University by accepted applicants.