Funding Your Education
At Duke Divinity, we’re committed to helping students answer God’s call to be here. In the 2021–2022 academic year, we awarded more than $9 million in institutional scholarship and grant support to 99 percent of our students. Our financial aid staff is available to counsel you on financing your education and making the most of the wide variety of funding sources available.
Thriving Communities Fellowship
In addition to receiving full-tuition scholarships, Thriving Communities Fellows participate in signature programming tailored to their vocational aims, including mentoring, a travel experience hosted by Duke faculty, and cohort-based professional formation and events. Fellows are also eligible to receive stipends totaling up to $24,000 through participation in the Communities of Learning program offered by the Office of Field Education.
Divinity Rural Fellowships
The Divinity School offers a number of fellowships and scholarships to support study here. For example, the Divinity Rural Fellowship program awards full tuition to residential M.Div. students from the WNC and NC annual conferences who exhibit a calling and passion for leadership in rural North Carolina.
Scholarships & Fellowships
Duke Divinity School offers a number of scholarships and fellowships that can help fund your education, and all students admitted to the M.Div., M.T.S., M.A. in Christian Practice, D.Min., and Th.D. receive some scholarship support.
External Scholarship Support
Students may be eligible for a number of grants and fellowships available to seminarians from various foundations and denominational entities. We encourage our students also to seek outside support in their efforts to graduate debt-free from Duke Divinity School.
Paid Field Education Internships
Duke Divinity is unique in its ability to provide funding for up to three field education internships for residential M.Div. students (two placements are required for graduation). The Office of Field Education places students in either full-time placements during the summer or part-time placements during the academic year and can provide up to $8,000 per placement. This funding is in addition to any scholarships, grants, or outside aid that a student receives, and can result in as much as $24,000 in additional support throughout the course of the program.
Hybrid M.Div. students complete two units of field education through student-initiated placements. The Office of Field Education provides coaching and resources for networking, equipping students to locate and set up an opportunity for supervised ministry in a placement of their choosing. Students work with and through The Office of Field Education to receive credit for their placement. Any funding that may be provided is negotiated directly between the student and the placement; no funding is required.
More Ways to Fund Your Education
Most Duke Divinity students finance their education through a variety of sources including personal savings, family contributions, church contributions, denominational support, scholarships, grants, student loans, and part-time employment. In addition to traditional forms of financial aid, financial support at Duke Divinity School includes field education funding for residential M.Div. students, which can result in as much as $24,000 in financial support throughout the course of the residential M.Div. program.
As you explore ways to fund your Divinity School education, see our estimated expense budget to assist with cost projections.
R.A. (Residential Advisor) Positions offer free room plus a stipend. Students should apply in December/January of the year prior to fall enrollment. Contact (919) 684-4304 for more information, or visit Resident Life & Housing Services.
Federal Work Study Positions are available in various capacities within the Divinity School, including the library, media center, and copy center.
America Reads/Counts Challenge gives students the opportunity to tutor children in reading and math. For information, contact Community Service Center, Box 90827, Ground Floor, Crowell Building, Durham, NC 27709-0827, (919) 684-4377
The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program is a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Every school at Duke has agreed to participate in the program at varying levels. Duke Divinity School will provide a maximum of eight scholarships ranging up to $2,600 per year on a first-come, first-served basis.
All Yellow Ribbon awards are based on Post 9/11 Veterans eligibility requirements established by the Veterans Administration and are not need-based. All applicants for the Yellow Ribbon program must submit VA certifications to Duke’s Certifying Official in the Registrar’s Office. Duke’s certifying official will date stamp each certificate of eligibility and forward a copy to the appropriate school at Duke. This date will be used to determine the order in which the awards will be made. All awards by the VA are paid directly to the university on behalf of the student.
For more details, visit the Office of the University Registrar.
Duke University has established a set of publicly available principles and policies to govern educational lending practices for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. These principles emphasize that lending practices proceed from a commitment to the best interests of our students, that we support students' right to choose their lenders, and that neither Duke nor its employees accept financial payments, goods, or services of material value from lenders. All employees involved in financial aid and student lending are subject to a rigorous conflict of interest policy. Administrators may serve as unpaid members of lender advisory boards in order to help shape the products and services that will best meet the needs of our students; in such cases, Duke pays all costs associated with that service.
As of July 1, 2019, Duke University will early implement the Department of Education’s decision to rescind gainful employment (GE) regulations (2014 Rule) in the Federal Register. We will no longer be providing Gainful Employment information by way of the website. Please contact the Duke Divinity School Office of Financial Aid if you have any questions.