Navigating Duke Law Scholarships: Requirements and Opportunities

Embarking on a legal education is a significant investment. Duke Law School recognizes this and offers various scholarships and financial aid options to make legal education accessible to talented individuals. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Duke Law scholarships, their requirements, and related financial aid information.

Understanding the Cost of Legal Education at Duke

The cost of a legal education extends beyond tuition and fees. It encompasses room and board, books, and personal expenses. Each year, the University establishes a standard budget to estimate individual student educational expenses. This budget governs the total amount of aid available to a student, including scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. Federal law dictates which expenses can be included in the Cost of Attendance Budget, covering both direct education expenses like tuition and related expenses that enable student attendance.

While students come to Duke Law School with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and financial means, the student expense budget allows for a relatively simple student lifestyle, demanding a responsible approach to living as a student. The Cost of Attendance Budget is designed to cover the entire nine months of enrollment at Duke Law. Refunds from loans are distributed twice yearly; therefore, students must budget accordingly.

Understanding the student expense budget is critical for students using financial aid to finance their attendance at Duke Law School. The budget, set by the University, covers only education-related expenses, including tuition, room and board, books, and transportation. Students can only borrow up to the total amount of the student expense budget. Special situations, such as out-of-pocket medical expenses and childcare, may allow for a budget increase. Staying within the student expense budget helps minimize debt, preserving options for employment and other opportunities after law school. Students should understand the various elements of their budget - for instance, if they decide to spend a little more on rent than is allocated, they will need to plan to save in other areas, such as transportation or miscellaneous expenses. Students should track all loan applications with their lender to ensure that the applications were completed, signed and approved. Most lenders allow students to check the status of their loans online.

Federal law governs allowable costs that may be included in the Cost of Attendance Budget. The cost of attendance is an estimate of that student’s educational expenses for the period of enrollment. There are many expense items that some students might assume can be included in the student expense budget that are not permitted. Students are advised to pay off all credit card debt before coming to law school.

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While the cost of the Bar examination itself can be included in the Cost of Attendance Budget, most other expenses associated with the Bar examination may not be included in the Cost of Attendance Budget. However, most lenders offer private Bar Study loans to law students to assist with such things as paying for Bar preparation courses and living expenses associated with taking a bar exam after graduation.

In some cases, students may have additional costs that are not accounted for in the Cost of Attendance Budget. Financial assistance in the form of increased borrowing eligibility may be available to pay for “out-of-pocket” medical and dental expenses (expenses not covered by medical insurance) incurred during the current academic year. The Office of Financial Aid cannot guarantee that Budget Increase Requests for such expenses will be approved. Since financial aid is intended to cover only the educational expenses of students, spouses or partners are expected to provide for their own room, board, and personal expenses. The budget can be increased for approved childcare expenses, based on amounts that are commensurate with the University's student survey. The Law School Office of Financial Aid must be provided a copy of the completed agreement with the daycare provider.

Duke Law's Commitment to Affordability

Duke Law is committed to providing students with experiential learning opportunities that not only contribute to their professional development, but also stress the value of service. Duke Law School's Office of Financial Aid makes every effort to help students who require financial assistance to meet tuition and living expenses. Financial aid at Duke Law comes from several sources: scholarships, federal loans and private loans.

A degree from Duke Law is an investment with many benefits - career options, earning potential, leadership development, and the chance to join an active and extensive alumni network. However, Duke Law devotes significant resources to scholarship funding in order to support applicants who demonstrate exceptional merit as well as financial need. In conjunction with scholarships, federal loans, and the Loan Repayment Program (LRAP), the Research Triangle's low cost of living make it possible to minimize the cost of your legal education. This is important to consider when comparing law schools.

Duke Law School awards three-year scholarships on the basis of either merit or merit and need to entering law students only. Educational loans are offered by both the federal government and private lenders. citizens or permanent residents will be able to fully finance the cost of a legal education. Duke Law has a long-standing tradition of supporting students and graduates who commit to public service careers. The Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) program greatly reduces the degree to which financing the cost of a legal education limits career options and opens the door to public service careers by providing a path for total loan forgiveness. Duke's LRAP program covers 100% of federal loan payments for graduates making $65,000 or less. The legal education that Duke Law School offers is competitively priced. Endowment income and student tuition help cover the expense of offering outstanding professors, small classes and a wide range of program offerings.

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Types of Scholarships Available

Duke Law awards three-year scholarships to entering law students. All scholarships are based on either merit (defined broadly to include academic excellence as well as a range of other personal accomplishments and experiences) or a combination of merit and financial need. Scholarship awards are guaranteed for three years of law school, assuming students remain in good academic standing.

Merit-Based Scholarships: These scholarships recognize outstanding academic achievements, professional accomplishments, and other exceptional experiences.
Need-Based Scholarships: These scholarships consider the applicant's financial situation to ensure that talented students can access a Duke Law education regardless of their economic background.
Merit and Need-Based Scholarships: A combination of both, these scholarships consider both the applicant's strengths and financial needs.

Specific Scholarship Programs

Duke Law offers several named scholarship programs, each with its own unique criteria and focus:

Mordecai Scholars Program: Initiated in 1997, the Mordecai Scholars program is a family of scholarships named for Samuel Fox Mordecai, the founding dean of the Law School. A select group of outstanding entering students are chosen each year as Mordecai Scholars and receive a full-tuition scholarship.
The Robert N. Kirkland L. Hicks Scholarship: The Kirkland L. Hicks Scholarship was established in 2015 by Kirkland L. Hicks '97.
The David W. Gerald B. Tjoflat Scholarship: The Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat Scholarship was established in honor of Gerald Tjoflat '57 in 2006 by Duke Law graduates, as well as other supporters, including many of Judge Tjoflat's former law clerks.
The David A. and Katherine S. Payne Law Scholarship: The David A. and Katherine S. Payne Law Scholarship was established in 2018 by David Anderson Payne '88, T '84, and Katherine S.
Caroline Bergman Gottschalk Scholarship: This scholarship was created by Caroline Bergman Gottschalk '90 to provide financial assistance for a deserving law student.
The Jerome M. Culp, Jr. Scholarship: The Jerome M. Culp, Jr. Scholarship was established in 2004 in memory of Professor Culp who was a distinguished member of the Duke Law faculty from 1985-2004.
The Candace M. Carroll and Leonard B. Simon Scholarship: The Candace M. Carroll and Leonard B. Simon Scholarship was established in 1998 by Candace M. Carroll '74 and Leonard B. Simon '73.

Financial Aid for LLM Applicants

Each year, Duke Law School is able to offer merit- and need-based assistance to highly qualified LLM applicants. This financial assistance generally takes the form of varying amounts of tuition scholarships. Duke Law LLM scholarships include the Judy Horowitz Scholarship, offered to an outstanding student with a demonstrated commitment for public interest from a developing country, the Moskovitz & Stern Scholarship offered to an outstanding student from Israel, and a scholarship to a student with a proven commitment to environmental protection and advocacy.

Applicants who wish to be considered for a Duke Law scholarship must submit a scholarship request letter with their LLM application. Candidates who believe their academic and professional backgrounds qualify them to be considered for a Duke Law scholarship must submit a scholarship request letter with their LLM applications. The scholarship letter should specify the following:

(1) whether an applicant expects to receive sponsorship support from an external source such as a governmental agency, employer, foundation, or another third party;(2) what, if any, family and/or personal funds the applicant intends to use to cover their graduate study and living expenses at Duke Law School;(3) the reasons the applicant believes they qualify for financial assistance, merit- or need-based. Reasons could include, for example, an outstanding previous academic record and/or a commitment to a legal career in academia or the public interest.

Read also: Duke University Tuition Costs

Additional Funding Sources for LLM Students

LLM applicants should also explore funding opportunities beyond Duke Law School, including scholarships from their home countries, government and other sources. They should also seek information about scholarships in their home countries. A substantial number of Duke LLM students have been recipients of scholarships granted by the Fulbright Program, DAAD, the Rotary Foundation, the World Bank, and a variety of national, state, corporate, university, and law firm sponsors. Applicants should also use the web to search for other potential sources of funding. Duke Law School will be glad to provide any documentation necessary for sponsors and should be informed about any scholarship awards. Please let us know if sponsors request an early admission decision.

Once admission is offered and accepted, proof of financial support is necessary before the visa process can be started. Accompanying family members will require additional funding. Once a student has matriculated, no scholarship assistance can be awarded. Some international students identify positions at the Law School as library or faculty assistants, but the remuneration is not substantial. Enrolled students may work at the University for no more than 20 hours a week. Duke University has established a list of recommended private lenders available for incoming international students.

Loan Options

Educational loans are offered by both the federal government and private lenders. citizens or permanent residents will be able to fully finance the cost of a legal education. Most students who are eligible for federal student loans will be able to borrow an amount sufficient to cover the cost of attendance, including tuition and living expenses, but the type of federal loan available will depend on the borrowing history of the applicant. Students who borrow through the federal program can make use of programs such as the Income-Driven Repayment Plans, the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, and Duke’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP).

Students seeking federal loan assistance must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). citizens and permanent residents, who are applying for any federal aid (i.e., Federal Stafford Loans). To minimize delays, students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA online as soon as possible after it becomes available each year.

Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)

Duke Law has a long-standing tradition of supporting students and graduates who commit to public service careers. Duke Law has limited financial assistance to offer international students. A small amount of scholarship assistance based on merit is awarded to outstanding applicants. The Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) program greatly reduces the degree to which financing the cost of a legal education limits career options and opens the door to public service careers by providing a path for total loan forgiveness. Duke's LRAP program covers 100% of federal loan payments for graduates making $65,000 or less.

The Application Process

Admission to Duke Law School is highly competitive. A hallmark of Duke Law is a close-knit group of students and faculty, and we seek candidates who will be enthusiastic and active members of our community. Admitted applicants are eligible for consideration for merit- and need-based scholarship awards.

Important Considerations for Budgeting

If you will be using financial aid to finance the cost of your attendance at Duke Law School, it is critical that you understand the student expense budget. Tuition Refund Insurance is available to our students to minimize the financial portion of losses incurred when a student suffers a serious illness or accident and has to leave Duke before the semester is completed. You may arrange for the direct deposit of your financial aid refund into your personal checking account. Direct Deposit helps to ensure that you receive your funds quickly. In order to set up this service, please visit the Financials tab in Dukehub.

Students should track all loan applications with their lender to ensure that the applications were completed, signed and approved. Most lenders allow students to check the status of their loans online.

There are many expense items that some students might assume can be included in the student expense budget that are not permitted. Students are advised to pay off all credit card debt before coming to law school.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an ESTIMATED budget as some educational fees have yet to be confirmed. Additionally it does not account for individual differences in housing accommodation, food selection, extensive travel, or owning a car during your stay. **ALL F-1 and J-1 visa holders are REQUIRED to purchase the Duke University-sponsored Student Medical Insurance Plan (SMIP). Bar application fees and the cost of bar exam preparatory courses are NOT included in the above amounts.

Housing options are plentiful near Duke: You can choose from traditional apartment complexes (most come with pools, exercise facilities, and on-site laundry), urban lofts in transformed tobacco warehouses (also loaded with amenities and usually within steps of restaurants, coffee shops, and retail shops), and homes and condominiums for rent. Many students choose to share an apartment with a classmate; some rent their own place. Whatever your preference, Durham has something to offer. Many LLM students find Durham to be the ideal place for their families to live.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Duke Law is one of the nation’s leading law schools, known for its emphasis on leadership, ethics, scholarly research, professional development, and programs that serve the profession and the community. Duke Law admits a select group of students with diverse backgrounds who have in common a record of academic excellence and outstanding achievements in professional endeavors and public service. One of the reasons students choose Duke Law is its collaborative environment, where growth is encouraged not only through rigorous scholarship but also through cooperation and support. Because the school is small, students enjoy uniquely close interactions with faculty and fellow students. Duke Law professors are leaders in a broad range of fields and highly regarded for their research, writing, and public service.

Whether you aspire to become a public interest lawyer, incorporate pro bono work into your practice, or serve your community in other ways, you will find the resources at Duke to reach your goals. Students provide law-related services in a broad array of areas including criminal law, environmental law, and civil rights, and work with Legal Aid, nonprofit advocacy groups, government, and private attorneys in their pro bono work. Duke Law's clinical program, which includes 12 clinical courses and a robust and rigorous externship offering, offers students a carefully structured opportunity to build their own experiential bridge between the classroom and practice.

The Externship Program allows students to receive academic credit for gaining legal experience beyond that available in the classroom setting, by working under the supervision of a licensed attorney in a governmental or nonprofit setting. The Duke in DC externship program combines a full-time externship in Washington, DC, with a seminar course focused on federal regulation or federal policymaking. Externship placements include federal government agencies, NGOs and advocacy organizations, and congressional committees on Capitol Hill. Wintersession offers students many opportunities for professional skills development. Short, hands-on courses are offered for a half-credit during a four-day period immediately prior to the spring semester. Programs focus on critical professional skills such as drafting contracts, taking a deposition, creating a business entity, and more. Duke Law has one of the nation’s best and most comprehensive writing programs. Eight full-time faculty teach the mandatory first-year writing, analysis, and research course as well as a range of upper-level courses on specific writing skills such as judicial writing, writing in civil practice, and writing for electronic discovery.

Duke Law has a large and active international law program, which includes a broad array of academic courses, study-abroad opportunities, the Duke Law International Internship program, the Duke Journal of International and Comparative Law, the Duke Law International Human Rights Clinic, the Duke-Leiden Institute in Global and Transnational Law, and several degree programs, such as the JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law, a robust LLM program for international lawyers, and an SJD program for international scholars. Each summer, Duke Law School and Leiden University sponsor the Duke-Leiden Institute in Global and Transnational Law in Leiden and The Hague, the Netherlands. The four-week residential program is designed for students and young professionals interested in studying international and comparative law. It also provides an excellent foundation for studying law in the United States. JD/LLM students, and others by application, are able to participate in an internship in an international law firm, government or nongovernmental agency, nonprofit, or business during the summer after the first year of law school. Students generally participate in the Duke-Leiden Institute in Global and Transnational Law for half the summer and the internship for the other half. The Office of International Studies assists in securing placements. Duke Law supports study-abroad arrangements with 20 top international universities around the world. Duke Law also offers international externship opportunities at public sector institutions that engage in international work.

Dual Degree Programs

Duke Law offers three unique dual-degree programs that allow students to obtain a JD and Master of Laws (LLM) or Master of Arts (MA) degree concurrently in just three years of coursework.

JD/LLMLE: The JD/LLMLE prepares students to advise or lead entrepreneurial companies. The program takes advantage of Duke’s strong ties to the entrepreneurial community in Durham and the Research Triangle, which provides externship and networking opportunities. This program includes an immersion experience with a start-up company during the summer following the first year.
JD/ Master's in Applied Ethics & Policy program: AI, big data, social media, genomics, and neuroscience have created legal, ethical, and societal challenges which demand an interdisciplinary approach and visionary leadership. Students in the JD/ Master's in Applied Ethics & Policy program focus on these intersectional problems and prepare themselves to drive legal and policy solutions for decades to come. The JD/MA program enables students to obtain both a JD through Duke Law School and an MA in Applied Ethics & Policy in three years and one summer.
International Law: This program prepares students for careers in international law through substantive academic courses, foreign language development, and work and study-abroad opportunities. Students take international law during the 1L year and can access an extensive curriculum of international and comparative law classes in the upper-class years, including clinics. In the summer following the first year, students participate in the four-week Duke-Leiden Institute in Global and Transnational Law in Leiden and The Hague, the Netherlands, and are able to work in an international placement during the other half of the summer.

Life at Duke and in Durham

Students and faculty at Duke Law consistently rave about the quality of life they enjoy in Durham and at Duke. Thanks to a low cost of living, students are often able to live in spacious apartments with numerous amenities. Durham is well-known for its excellent restaurants, farm-to-table cuisine, and a burgeoning food-truck movement. As one of numerous colleges and universities in the region, Duke provides access to a thriving social scene, world-class arts and entertainment, and professional and collegiate sporting events.

Career Prospects

Duke Law graduates find employment in all sectors of the legal profession and in all parts of the United States and the world. Many begin their careers in law firms. Top law firms from across the country interview on campus each year, and many students receive multiple offers. Others pursue judicial clerkships-about 20 to 25 percent are awarded a clerkship immediately upon graduation or in the early years of their careers-or work for government agencies or business enterprises. Duke places special emphasis on support for students interested in careers in public service. Staff from the Career Center’s Office of Public Interest Advising and the Office of Public Interest and Pro Bono help students find opportunities both during and after law school.

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