by our College Data Analytics TeamThis guide covers the real cost of attending Duke University, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
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Published attendance costs at Duke University amounts to about $82,749.00 per academic year.
The blocks below show what you would pay with no aid, with average aid, and as a low-income student.
| Tuition and fees | $68,758.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $13,991.00 |
| Total cost | $82,749.00 |
| That is 152% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $82,749.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$57,460.00 |
| Net price | $25,289.00 |
| That is 23% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $82,749.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$86,337.00 |
| Net price | $-3,588.00 |
| That is 111% below the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page plus room and board. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by around 4.5% a year, so a full degree will cost more than a single year — the tables below carry that forward. Below, the cost is projected across a degree for three students at once — low-income with aid, average aid, and no aid. The repayment figures use a ten-year loan at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Freshman year | $-3,750.00 | $26,428.00 | $86,477.00 |
| Senior year | $-4,280.00 | $30,164.00 | $98,701.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $-16,043.00 | $113,075.00 | $369,997.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-6,112.00 | $43,078.00 | $140,955.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-185.00 | $1,301.00 | $4,258.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-22,155.00 | $156,153.00 | $510,952.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Freshman year | $-3,750.00 | $26,428.00 | $86,477.00 |
| Senior year | $-3,919.00 | $27,619.00 | $90,374.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $-7,668.00 | $54,048.00 | $176,851.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-2,921.00 | $20,590.00 | $67,374.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-88.00 | $622.00 | $2,035.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-10,590.00 | $74,638.00 | $244,225.00 |
Read more in the net-price section.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. For most prospective students, net price gives a more realistic estimate than sticker tuition.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $29,612.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $34,454.00 |
Net price is not the same for every family — it falls as financial need rises and grant aid increases. Here is the average net price for each family-income range:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $3,295.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $242.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $6,901.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $16,487.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $54,375.00 |
For a personalized estimate, try the Duke University Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
Median graduate debt at Duke University is $12,000.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) burden tier.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,000.00 |
| 25th | $3,750.00 |
| Median (50th) | $12,000.00 |
| 75th | $19,500.00 |
| 90th | $26,500.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student loan debt detail.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. The figures below split graduating borrowers into three income brackets:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,500.00 |
| Middle income | $10,596.00 |
| High income | $12,000.00 |
Low-income borrowers graduate with $1,500.00 in extra median debt compared with high-income peers.
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,125.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000.00 |
First-gen borrowers at Duke University take on $125.00 in additional median debt versus continuing-generation peers.
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Duke University is $-4,500.00.
The federal default-rate tier for Duke University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 0.8% |
For context on the loan portfolio, Stafford disbursements at Duke University add up to $742,398,746.00 over 23,339 disbursements.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance from the Department of Defense.
| GI Bill recipients | 283 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $13,236.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the college veterans page.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through Duke University, keep these questions in mind:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.