Understanding Duke Law School Tuition and Costs

Pursuing a legal education represents a substantial investment. This article breaks down the tuition, fees, and associated expenses at Duke Law School for the academic year 2025-2026, providing a comprehensive overview for prospective students.

Tuition for JD, MLS, LLM, and SJD Programs

The base tuition for the Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Legal Studies (MLS) programs at Duke Law School is \$80,100 for the 2025-2026 academic year. This rate applies to entering students and transfer students. Students pursuing a dual JD/LLM degree will pay a higher tuition of $93,450 for the same academic year. LLM degree candidates will also pay tuition of $80,100 in 2025-2026 for their single year of instruction. SJD candidates must enroll for two years; tuition for the SJD program for 2025-2026 is set at $80,100.

Mandatory Fees

In addition to tuition, students are required to pay several mandatory fees such as Student Health Fee, Law Student Activity Fee, Graduate Student Activity Fee, Graduate Student Services Fee, Recreation Fee and Academic Transcript Fee.

Student Health Fee: A mandatory student health fee of $1,008 (\$504 per semester) is charged to all Duke University students. All students are required to maintain medical insurance that meets minimum standards set by the university.
Law Student Activity Fee: Students are charged an activity fee of $150.
Graduate Student Activity Fee: Students are charged an activity fee of $38.00.
Graduate Student Services Fee: Students are charged a $26 fee to support co-curricular services such as University career services and cultural programming.
Recreation Fee: Students are charged a recreation fee of $390.
Academic Transcript Fee: The university will charge a one-time academic transcript fee of $120.

Absentia Fee

Duke Law School students spending one semester or all of their final year of law school at another law school shall be charged an in absentia fee for the semester or semesters “visiting” at another law school. The fee is the greater of (1) 10 percent of Duke Law School tuition or (2) the amount that Duke Law School tuition exceeds the tuition at the “visited” school. The fee shall not exceed two-thirds of Duke Law School tuition. Students visiting Duke will receive no scholarship assistance from Duke Law School.

General Expenses and Cost of Attendance

Beyond tuition and fees, students should also budget for living and personal expenses. Duke University develops a standard budget each year to estimate these costs, which also governs the total amount of financial aid a student can receive.

Read also: Duke University Tuition Costs

The estimated cost of attendance for 2025-2026 is as follows:

JD Tuition: \$80,100
Medical Insurance: \$3,704
Health Fee (mandatory): \$1,008
Law Student Activity Fee: \$150
Graduate Student Activity Fee: \$38
Graduate Student Services Fee: \$26
Recreation Fee: \$390
Transcript Fee: \$120
Loan Fees: \$1,776*
Books & Supplies: \$1,492
Rent & Utilities: \$13,842
Food: \$4,320
Personal/Miscellaneous: \$4,374
Local Transportation: \$2,088
TOTAL: \$113,428

*This is the standard, average loan fee allocation. Individual students may have this figure reduced based on their actual loan fees.

First-year students are also strongly encouraged to own a computer; the student expense budget may be increased by up to $2,500 for the purchase of a notebook computer. (This budget increase is available only once during a student’s career.) Financial aid awards in most cases cannot be based on proposed budgets in excess of these figures.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Duke Law School offers financial assistance to students through loans and scholarships.

Loans

Duke students should apply for loans through Duke Law's Office of Financial Aid. Students at other American law schools should consult the financial aid office at their own school. If a financial consortium agreement is required, financial aid officers are welcome to consult Duke Law School's Financial Aid Office for guidance.

Read also: Decoding Duke University

Scholarships for International Students

Duke offers some financial assistance based on merit or need to outstanding international students. All non-US citizens admitted will need to provide proof of sufficient financial support for tuition and living expenses for the degree program before the university initiates the student visa process. International students admitted to the JD program must demonstrate that they have funds available for all three years of study. Duke Law School does not award new scholarship funds on the basis of need or merit once the student matriculates.

Conditional Scholarships

One form of financial aid for law students is conditional scholarships, which require students to maintain a certain GPA or class ranking.

JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship Program

For students interested in the intersection of law and entrepreneurship, Duke Law offers a dual JD/LLM degree program. To apply for the JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship program, candidates complete the regular JD application and indicate their intent to enroll in the JD/LLMLE. For incoming JD students who did not apply to the dual program at admission, 1L students may also elect to add on the dual degree before mid-October. The dual JD/LLM degree programs at Duke Law have a base tuition of $93,450 for 2025-2026.

The LLM in Law & Entrepreneurship is an advanced legal studies program designed for students who want to be entrepreneurial lawyers. While it provides students with a deep immersion in certain fields of business study, those areas will be covered from a lawyer’s perspective. Since graduating the first class of JD/LLM in Law & Entrepreneurship alumni in 2016, the majority of alumni have been hired by law firms who serve emerging companies, especially in the New York and Bay Area markets. Other alumni have found employment at firms here in the Triangle or abroad.

Visiting Students

All financial assistance for visiting students at Duke Law School must be processed through the institution from which the student will receive his or her degree.

Read also: Learn about Duke's Colors

Housing for Duke-Leiden Institute

Duke-Leiden Institute's housing accommodations are at The Cove Centrum Passage in The Hague. All rooms are single-occupancy studio apartments with a kitchen and bathroom. All rooms are non-smoking. The housing fee is a flat fee, covers all housing and reservation costs, and is due on March 1st. You may arrange for your own housing in The Hague instead.

Factors Influencing Tuition Increases

Tuition at ABA-accredited law schools has steadily increased since 1994, rising an average of $4,352 every 4 years since 2011. Similar to other fields of study, public school generally offers more affordable tuition than private school.

Alternative Legal Degrees

The Juris Doctorate (J.D.) is the traditional three-year degree required to take the bar exam and become an attorney. Alternative degrees exist for those seeking to work in the legal field but not become lawyers themselves. These programs are typically shorter and less expensive than a J.D. A J.M. A J.M. A J.M. Many M.L.S. The University of Oklahoma’s M.L.S. Seattle University School of Law M.L.S.

Admission Competitiveness

Based on the 2025 ABA 509 Report, 6240 candidates submitted JD applications to Duke Law and 804 received acceptance letters. This means that of the 804 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 222 chose to enroll. For a competitive law school application to Duke Law, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below.

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