Financial Aid

The Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Master of Public Policy Program (MPP) provides merit-based financial aid to both U.S. and international graduate students in the form of tuition fellowships and teaching, research and staff assistantships.

MPP Applicants should indicate on their application that they wish to be considered for financial aid by marking the box "Yes" under "Consideration for Financial Aid from Duke University (such as fellowships, scholarships, and assistantships)". There is no additional documentation required for merit based financial aid. We generally offer financial assistance for two academic years of study conditional upon satisfactory coursework progress in the first year.

Joint or concurrent degree students receive tuition fellowships primarily during their first year of MPP academic study and possibly a portion of their subsequent year of MPP study.

The Admissions Office, Duke MPP Program reserves the right to amend the financial aid award amount based on the student's receipt of external funding or if a student applies to become a joint or concurrent degree student during the first academic year of study in the MPP program. Students have an ongoing obligation to inform the Duke MPP Admissions Office of any external finding sources, scholarships or grants obtained independently. Financial aid awards are determined by the Sanford Institute Graduate Program Office, which notifies students by mail of their award.

Duke's MPP Program is a participating member of the IIPP and RPCV programs for qualified applicants. These programs can be sources of tuition funding during enrollment in Duke's MPP program. To learn more about these fellowships opportunities and the associated program information, please click on the links below:

The Duke Graduate School Office of Financial Aid is responsible for loans and certification of work-study eligibility for U.S. citizens. Loan funds are provided through the Stafford and Perkins Loan Programs. For further information regarding domestic student loans and work-study procedures and deadlines, contact the Office of Financial Aid, telephone: 919-684-5708, Internet: http://www.gradschool.duke.edu/financial_support/index.html, E-mail: grad-finaid@duke.edu.

Loan lender information:
You have the option of choosing a lender under the Stafford Loan Program. Duke University is a lender, offering efficient in-house application processing and attractive terms. Duke pays the federally mandated origination fee for you; the federal government determines interest rates annually. We will list Duke as your Stafford lender unless you provide us with your choice of an alternative lender, including both name and address.

You can search for lenders via the Internet using a search engine for "Stafford loan lender" or "no origination fee Stafford loan lender" as examples. Since interest rates and fee structures change on a frequent basis, you should carefully review the details and contractual information for each lending program before choosing a lender.

International students are encouraged to seek funding from external sources in addition to any funding provided by the MPP Program if accepted.

If you have questions concerning application procedures, e-mail us at MPPadmit@duke.edu.

Additional international student funding information.

Additional Financial Aid Funding Sources: AAUW Educational Foundation Fellowships and Grants.