Parents

Welcome to the Parents section of our site! We hope you'll find the information here both relevant and helpful. For more details about financial support for various student experiences, you may also want to review our web pages for Prospective Students or Current Students.

Use the navigation panel on the left to learn more about Duke Financial Aid, or check out our parents' Top FAQs, below.

Can't find the answers to your questions online?  Contact us.

Top FAQs

1. Applying for aid: how and when?
   
2. Financial Aid, Bursar, Loans: how does it work and where do I go for what I need?
3. I need help paying my family contribution.  What are my options?
   
4. What happens if my financial circumstances have changed?
5. I'm divorced or separated.  How will that affect my child's aid?
6. How can I view my child's account or aid information online?

1. Applying for aid: how and when?

• Parents of Prospective Students
• Parents of Current Students

2. Financial Aid, Bursar, Loans: how does it work and where do I go for what I need?

The Financial Aid Office provides the student's financial aid award.  Grants, scholarships, and loans are then posted to the Student Account, which is managed by the Bursar's Office.  The Bursar's Office handles all billing, payments, and refunds, which are also posted to the Student Account.  The Loan Office takes care of parent loans, private/alternative loans, and all loan application requirements (including Master Promissory Notes and Entrance/Exit Counseling).  If you're unsure of which office you should contact, here's a quick guide:

• For questions about acount balances, billing, payments, and refunds, contact the Bursar's Office.
• For questions about parent loans or private/alternative loans, contact the Student Loan Office.
• For questions about your financial aid eligibility and financial aid award, contact the Financial Aid Office.
• And if you ever need information about your current account balance, financial aid award, or application tasks, check out ACES.

3. I need help paying my family contribution.  What are my options?

Check out Financing a Duke Education for more information.

4. What happens if my financial circumstances have changed?

Changes in circumstances are captured when students renew their financial aid awards each year.  If you have special circumstances that have severely impacted your ability to contribute to your son or daughter's education, find out more about how Duke handles special circumstances.

5. I'm divorced or separated.  How will that affect my child's aid?

For federal financial aid purposes (filling out the FAFSA), the custodial parent and step-parent (if applicable) should complete the FAFSA using their household financial and family information. 

Duke's philosophy is that it is the responsibility of both biological/adoptive parents to support their child's higher education expenses.  Determination of institutional financial aid eligibility is based on the expectation that both parents will contribute to their child's education from their financial resources.  So for institutional (Duke) financial aid purposes, both the custodial parent and non-custodial parent are treated equally.  The custodial parent should complete the CSS Profile.  Once the Profile is completed, you will receive instructions for the Non-custodial Parent (NCP) Profile from College Board.  If you have extreme family circumstances that prohibit one or more of your parents from completing the financial aid application process, please let us know.

6. How can I view my child's account or aid information online?

Due to federal regulations, students must provide consent in order for aid and account information to be shared with parents or others.  Current students can easily provide consent by enabling online guest access through their ACES account.   For a step-by-step guide on how to enable guest access, please click here.