Cost & financial aid brief
Duke University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Duke University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $57,460 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $29,612, but the figure shifts sharply by income.
The lowest-income band (under $30,000) averages $735 and the highest band (above $110,000) averages $54,230, a spread of $53,495. The middle-low band sees a negative average net price of -$361, meaning aid exceeds the published cost for qualifying families in that bracket.
This pattern coincides with the largest discounts flowing to the lowest-income families.
The published cost of attendance at Duke University is $87,072. Azimuth ranks the university #755 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $735, those in the $48,001–$75,000 band average $5,706, and those earning over $110,000 average $54,230. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $53,495.
Tuition and fees are $68,758. Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $29,612.
That is $2,241 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $13,000 in federal student loans, $11,199 below the peer median of $24,199.
81.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $27,998 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $148 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Among undergraduates at Duke University, 81.5% of federal aid recipients take federal student loans, yet the median federal debt at completion is $13,000. That median is below the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,199.
For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median Parent PLUS loan is $27,998. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 25% of the bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source.
The average cumulative amount was $27,515 per borrower. Federal loans were held by 24% of graduates, including 6% who also carried private loans.
The average federal principal per federal borrower was $13,244, while the average private principal per private borrower reached $63,176.
The investment picture at Duke University is shaped by high earnings and low debt. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $115,722.
Azimuth places that figure in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,215 more than expects for similar students.
That puts the gap at the 84th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $62,353 in a downside case to $199,459 in an upside case, with $115,722 representing the typical outcome.
For borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $13,000, which is $11,199 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $148 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $27,998. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $148.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $27,998
- Estimated parent payment
- $356/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $13,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $27,998
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $148/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $356/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $504/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $115,722, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
1.9% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.