Skip to content

First Year Students

Living at Duke

Your Student Account

phone: 919-684-3531 | fax: 919-684-3091 | email: bursar@duke.edu| finance.duke.edu/bursar

Your student account contains all charges from the University as well as payments made to cover those charges. Charges include tuition, fees, on-campus housing, and meal plan. They may also include Duke “FLEX” account charges (see DukeCard), additional Food Points (see Dining) and other discretionary charges.

Payments to your student account include all University grants, loans, outside scholarships and all payments made on your behalf by family members and others.

Bills are prepared on a regular basis and are made available to you electronically on DukeHub. The amount due on your bill reflects all charges minus all payments and any anticipated financial aid. The amount due on each billing statement should be paid by the statement due date, although tuition and term fees should be paid in full before the start of each term. Fall charges are due on the first business day in August. Please visit the Bursar’s website for a complete billing schedule. You may also view your up-to-date student account history on DukeHub.

If you would like to grant permission to a parent or a third party to access your bills and student account history, please click to edit the Relationships/Student Proxy Access section of the Profile tab on DukeHub, and follow the instructions. You will not receive a bill via U.S. Mail—all bills will be available to you and those to whom you delegate access electronically on DukeHub.

Paying Your Bill

There are seven ways to pay your bill:

E-CHECK is a fast and convenient way to pay your bill. To pay by e-check from a U.S. bank account, visit DukeHub or finance.duke.edu/bursar (click the “Make and E-Check Payment”).

CHECK PAYMENTS should be sent to the address listed on your bill. To ensure prompt posting of check payments to your student account, include a copy of your bill. Checks should be payable in U.S. dollars to “Duke University” and include your name and student ID. Your check should be drawn on a U.S. financial institution (such as Bank of America), or a U.S. branch of your financial institution (ex: Miami branch of Barclay’s Bank PLC).

Duke has partnered with Convera and Flywire to provide international wire transfer service to students and parents paying from abroad. Please see finance.duke.edu/bursar and select the International Payments link.

Outside Scholarship Checks should be sent to:

Duke University Cashiering Box 90759, Durham, NC 27708-0759

Duke University partners with Nelnet to provide a payment plan for current term charges. The payment plan provides for five equal monthly payments (Fall payments run July 1 to November 1; spring payments run December 1 to April 1). Nelnet assesses a non-refundable enrollment fee for each plan term. For more information, visit https://mycollegepaymentplan.com/duke/ (link is external) or contact Nelnet at (800) 609-8056.

All first-year students are eligible for up to $5,500 in Federal Direct Loans. Students receiving financial aid may already have a portion of this eligibility included in their financial aid award. You can contact your financial aid counselor to request a Federal Direct Loan if you have not already been offered one. Private student loans are also available, if needed. Students can apply for loans at any time during the academic year. [Proceeds from all approved loans are posted directly to your student account to cover any outstanding charges. Any funding posted in excess of your outstanding charges may result in a refund (see Refunds from Financial Aid and Loans on the next page)].

Federal Direct Parent “PLUS” Loans are available to all parents who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who meet acceptable credit requirements. Parents may use these loans to cover educational expenses not already covered by financial aid or outside scholarships. Applications for the PLUS can be submitted at any time during the academic year. Proceeds from all approved loans are applied directly to the student account to cover any outstanding charges. Any funding posted in excess of the outstanding charges may result in a refund to the borrower.

Restrictions on Past Due Accounts

Your bill is due before the start of each term. If your bill becomes past due, a late payment penalty charge (not to exceed 1.25% of the past due balance) will be assessed on subsequent bills. Past due balances may also prevent you from registering for classes or receiving certification of academic credits, transcripts, or your diploma, and may ultimately result in your withdrawal from the University. If your account remains outstanding after your departure from Duke, it may be referred to a collection agency and reported to a credit bureau.

Tuition Withdrawal Adjustments

If you withdraw from or are withdrawn by the University, a percentage adjustment to your tuition will occur depending on your withdrawal date. No adjustment for mandatory fees is made after classes begin. If withdrawal occurs, the amount of tuition refunded is:

Before classes begin: 100%

During 1st or 2nd week of classes: 80%

During 3rd, 4th, or 5th week of classes: 60%

During 6th week of classes: 20%

After 6th week of classes: 0%

Tuition Insurance

GradGuard offers you the opportunity to insure your tuition, room, and board charges. Under their plan, insured students who withdraw from school during the semester due to illness or accident can recover up to 100% of covered charges. Benefits are coordinated with Duke’s tuition refund policy to ensure complete coverage for students. You will receive plan and enrollment information this summer. For further details, or to apply directly online, please visit https://gradguard.com/tuition/duke or call GradGuard at 877-794-6603.