UNDERGRADUATE DEADLINES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Aid After Duke

Whether you're getting ready to graduate or just trying to plan ahead, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with how financial aid can affect your life after Duke.


Preparing for graduation

Before you can get your diploma and transcripts, you will need to have cleared any remaining balance on your student account.  This is done through the Bursar's Office.  If you are having trouble clearing your balance or find yourself in need of last-minute funding, you should contact your financial aid counselor to check if you have additional loan eligibility.  Financial aid funding cannot be provided after the last day of classes, so it's extremely important that you address any lingering financial concerns ahead of time.

You also need to complete loan exit counseling before you graduate.

 

Managing your loan debt

The first step in managing your loan debt is understanding how much debt you have, what types of loans you've borrowed, and what repayment options are available to you.  All of this information is provided in loan exit counseling, which you need to complete before you graduate.

The Student Loan Office has also provided several resources to help you get organized and figure out what's needed to repay your loans.

 

Financial Aid tips for employment 

Some employment and service opportunities offer loan forgiveness programs, which could eliminate some or all of your federal student loans after a given period of service.  If interested, you should find out more about these opportunities.  Regardless of what type of career you're thinking of, we highly recommend you utilize the Duke Career Center.  

 

Financial aid tips for graduate school

Federal Perkins and Subsidized Stafford loan interest and payments can be deferred while enrolled in graduate school.  Federal Unsubsidized Stafford loan payments can be deferred while enrolled in graduate school, but interest for this loan still accrues.  If you're planning to go to grad school, you should make sure you understand what this means for your undergraduate loan debt.

Graduate school financial aid can vary widely based on the institution and the program; you should contact your department's financial aid office for full details.  Financial aid information for Duke's graduate and professional schools is available here. 

In addition to Federal Stafford Loans, graduate students are also eligible to borrow up to their full cost of attendance in Federal Graduate PLUS Loans.