Does Duke Offer Undergraduate Merit Scholarships That Harvard Does Not?

The biggest practical difference is that Duke awards a limited number of competitive undergraduate merit scholarships regardless of financial need, while Harvard does not award merit scholarships and bases its institutional aid on demonstrated financial need. At Duke, major awards can cover full tuition or the full cost of attendance and may include enrichment funding, but they are extremely selective and often require nomination or separate scholarship consideration. Harvard’s financial aid is need-based, and a student’s academic accomplishments do not create a separate merit award.

Duke’s prominent merit programs include the A.B. Duke Scholarship, B.N. Duke Scholarship, Trinity Scholarship, and Karsh International Scholarship. The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program, affiliated with both Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, is another major full scholarship opportunity with a leadership focus; it has its own application process.

Harvard states that it meets demonstrated financial need for admitted undergraduates and does not offer academic, athletic, or other merit scholarships. Its aid policies have become especially generous for many middle-income families, but eligibility still depends on family financial circumstances rather than grades, scores, or leadership distinctions.

A Duke merit award could make Duke substantially less expensive than Harvard for a student who does not qualify for significant need-based aid; without one, the meaningful comparison is the two schools’ individualized need-based aid offers and each family’s net cost.