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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Duke University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/duke-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/duke-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/duke-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/duke-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/duke-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Duke University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Duke University is $87,072, with tuition and fees at $68,758 and room and board at $18,128. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) falls to $29,612, a reduction of $57,460 from the sticker total.

Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. That average net price runs above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,241.

Azimuth ranks the university #755 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Completers who borrowed at Duke University hold median federal student debt of $13,000, a figure below the median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,199. For those receiving aid, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $29,612, which puts it above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,241.

The average net price is $735 for the lowest income band and $54,230 for the highest income band. Azimuth places the affordability pillar for the university at the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steeply progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $735; for $30,001–$48,000 it is -$361; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $5,706; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $17,100; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $54,230.

Pell Grant recipients make up 14.0% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $53,495.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$735

**$30–48K**
\-$361

**$48–75K**
$5,706

**$75–110K**
$17,100

**$110K+**
$54,230

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.

Overall average annual net price: **$29,612**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $27,998. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $148.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$27,998

**Estimated parent payment**
$356/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=duke-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.