Duke University will raise its undergraduate cost of attendance by 5.93% for the 2025-26 academic year. The Board of Trustees approved the increase during its latest quarterly meeting.
With this change, the total cost of attending Duke will rise to $92,042 per year.
Breakdown of the new costs
The new cost includes:
- $70,265 for tuition
- $21,777 for room, board, and fees
For comparison, in the 2024-25 academic year, these costs were $66,325 and $20,561, respectively.
Duke raised tuition by 4.35% last year.
Graduate and professional programs also see increases
The Board also approved tuition increases for graduate and professional school programs. These will range from 0% to 4.7%.
This is a smaller range than the previous year, when increases were between 0% and 5%.
Financial aid will cover the tuition increases
According to Duke Today, students receiving need-based financial aid will have their tuition fully covered.
Duke follows a need-blind admissions policy for U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens. This means an applicant’s ability to pay does not affect their chances of admission.
The cost of attendance has more than doubled in 20 years
For the first time, Duke’s undergraduate cost of attendance has exceeded $90,000.
Other universities with similar costs include:
- Northwestern University
- Boston University
- Tufts University
- Yale University
Duke’s total cost has risen by 123% over the last two decades. In 2005, it was only $41,239 per year.
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Lawsuit over financial aid practices
In 2024, Duke agreed to pay $24 million to settle a financial aid antitrust lawsuit.
The lawsuit claimed that Duke illegally practiced need-aware admissions, meaning financial need could have influenced admissions decisions.
Duke denied these claims but still settled the case.
Financial aid at Duke
More than half of Duke’s undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid. This includes:
- Need-based aid
- Athletic scholarships
- Endowed competitive scholarships
In April 2024, Duke ended the Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarship. This was a full-ride scholarship for top African descent applicants.
The decision came after the Supreme Court ruled against race-based affirmative action in college admissions.
New initiative for Carolina students
In 2023, Duke launched the Initiative for Students from the Carolinas.
This program provides:
- Full tuition grants for students from North and South Carolina with family incomes of $150,000 or less
- Extra aid for housing, meals, and other costs for families earning under $65,000
Correction in reporting
An earlier version of this report stated that Duke’s cost of attendance had increased by 223% in two decades.
The actual increase is 123%.
The Chronicle has corrected the error and regrets the mistake.
