| Duke trustees approved a 4.4 percent increase in tuition and fees for Arts and Sciences freshmen entering next fall, along with plans to expand the university’s financial-aid program to include summer sessions this year and foreign students in 2002. Meeting in February, the trustees also strongly reaffirmed Duke’s commitment to admitting students without regard to their ability to pay, and then meeting their full demonstrated need through a combination of grants, work-study opportunities, and low-cost loans. Four out of ten Duke undergraduates receive financial assistance from the university. Tuition and mandatory fees for entering Arts and Sciences students will be $26,768 for fiscal 2001-02, up from $25,630 for the current year. The total cost, including room and board, will be $34,416, up 4.2 percent from the current year. Undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at the Pratt School of Engineering also will be $26,768 next fall, an increase of 4.1 percent over the current year. Because Duke’s $2.66-billion endowment is considerably less than most private research universities and several public universities with which it competes for faculty and staff, income from tuition is especially important in supporting the university’s academic programs. “The tuition increases are conservative considering the climbing competitive salary pressures we face for attracting and retaining faculty and in keeping up with the rising costs in such areas as information technology and laboratory equipment,” says Provost Peter Lange. “It is important to note, too, that Duke places high priority on financial aid to build the quality and diversity of our student body, and a significant portion of that aid comes from operating funds. Duke is one of the few institutions nationally committed to need-blind admissions and meeting demonstrated need.” The university expects to administer $42.6 million in financial aid for undergraduates next year, including $34 million in university funds, but excluding loans and work-study support. The overall university budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 will be approved by the board at its May meeting. Duke plans to broaden its financial-aid program this summer by offering support for two summer-sessions terms as well as summer earnings replacement for students who take summer courses or pursue study aboard. In addition, the standard student budget will be increased for all financial-aid recipients next fall. Undergraduate international students will be eligible for need-based financial aid for the first time at Duke in the 2002-03 academic year. The program will be phased in over three years so that fifteen to twenty foreign students will be admitted annually with financial assistance. In addition, recruiting is now under way for the first group of Robertson Scholars at Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Fifteen students will receive full-tuition scholarships at Duke as part of the unique collaborative program that includes courses at both universities as well as residential exchanges and shared summer experiences. Tuition rates for 2001-02 for the graduate and professional schools are: • Divinity School, $11,760, up 4.5 percent over the current year; • Fuqua School of Business, $29,600 (daytime M.B.A.), up 5 percent; • Graduate School, $21,660, up 3.9 percent • Law School, $28,250, up 6 percent; • Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, $20,550, up 4 percent; • School of Medicine, $28,566, up 3.5 percent; • School of Nursing, $22,356, up 4 percent. |
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