Apply by the January 5 priority deadline for maximum funding consideration.
We see your drive to create meaningful change. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping you invest in your future—by guiding you through funding opportunities and equipping you with the financial resources you need to succeed and lead with impact.
MIDP Funding at a Glance
- Priority funding deadline: January 5
- General scholarship consideration: Apply by the priority deadline and indicate that you would like to be considered for financial aid
- Additional materials: No additional documentation is required for general MIDP tuition scholarship consideration
- Funding sources may include: Sanford tuition scholarships, donor-funded endowments, assistantships, external scholarships, federal aid for eligible U.S. students, and Duke-wide resources
- Important note: Applicants are encouraged to explore external funding early in addition to preparing a strong application to the program
Types of Sanford MIDP Tuition Scholarships
Sanford offers merit- and need-based tuition scholarships to both domestic and international students. Scholarships are distributed in equal installments during the fall and spring semesters and may be renewed based on academic performance and progress toward the degree. All MIDP applicants who apply by the January 5 priority deadline and who indicate on the application that they would like to be considered for financial aid are reviewed for consideration. These scholarships are intended solely for tuition expenses and cannot be used as stipends or to cover living costs.
This prestigious award recognizes outstanding graduate students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and strong leadership potential. The fellowship provides one of the program’s most substantial forms of tuition support for students pursuing the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP), helping high-potential students advance their impact in global development.
The Sanford School of Public Policy offers a 25% tuition reduction and application fee waiver for graduate programs to federal, state and local government employees (including contractors) in a career transition resulting from changes in the federal workforce or funding within the last year. All applicants will be automatically considered based on their admissions materials.
Named Fellowships and Scholarships
- Who is Eligible: Designated for graduate students who are or shall be at the time of receipt of this fellowship, enrolled in the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP)
- Selection Preference: Preference shall be given to students from low-income countries, ideally from Africa
- Funding Support: Partial to full tuition scholarships
Made possible by: Professor of the Practice Emeritus Francis Lethem
- Who is Eligible: Designated for graduate students who are or shall be at the time of receipt of this fellowship, enrolled in the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP)
- Funding Support: Partial to full tuition scholarships
- Who is Eligible: Designated for graduate students who are or shall be at the time of receipt of this fellowship, enrolled in the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP)
- Selection Preference: Preference shall be given to students from Latin America (Mexico, Central America, South America) and the Carribbean
- Funding Support: Partial tuition scholarships
- Who is Eligible: Designated for graduate students who are or shall be at the time of receipt of this fellowship enrolled at the Sanford School of Public Policy and are from Armenia and/or the surrounding region who are interested in sustainable development, nation-building, or conflict resolution in Armenia or the surrounding region
- Funding Support: Partial to full tuition scholarships
- Application Requirements: Students must upload a separate statement in their application, describing their interest in Armenia or the surrounding region and their professional goals
Partnerships
Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy offers application fee waiver consideration for our residential program applicants who meet the following qualifications:
Affiliated with an organization
Applicants who are affiliated with one or more of the following organizations, with an accompanying letter of certification:
- Active Duty U.S. Military Service Members and Veterans
- Americorps
- Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program
- Colfuturo
- City Year
- Guatefuturo
- Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
- JuventudEsGTO
- FUNED
- Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute
- Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RSPC)
- Rotary Peace Fellowship
- Teach for America
- Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program
Need-Based Requests
For need-based waiver requests, applicants are required to upload documentation demonstrating successful application to external funding. It is extremely important that applicants have a financial plan in place to fund their studies before acceptance into the program. Securing funding takes significant time; we highly recommend that this process start as early as possible and before applying to the program itself. Need-based requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Government workers in transition
For individuals who have been working at the local, state, or federal level and find themselves in a period of transition, we are happy to continue our offer of an application fee waiver. Please upload a copy of your resume and a brief explanation for consideration. These requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Submit your Request for an Application Fee Waiver here. You must have an open application in order to submit your request.
- Who is Eligible: U.S. citizens pursuing graduate study who are interested in careers in the U.S. Foreign Service through the Department of State
- Selection Preference: The Rangel Program selects outstanding applicants through a highly competitive national process, with consideration for merit and financial need
- Funding Support: The Rangel Graduate Fellowship provides support for two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring, and professional development. Duke MIDP provides a complementary 50% tuition scholarship.
- Application Requirements: Students must apply directly through the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program. The 2026 application cycle has been postponed pending updates from the U.S. Department of State, so applicants should review the official Rangel Program website for the most current application information.
Learn more about the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program.
- Who is Eligible: Colombian citizens who apply to or are admitted for full-time graduate study at Duke Sanford and who also apply to and are selected by COLFUTURO’s Loan-Scholarship Program.
- Selection Preference: Students must meet Duke Sanford’s standard admission requirements and COLFUTURO’s application requirements. Eligible students are considered for shared financing if they are admitted to Sanford and selected as beneficiaries of COLFUTURO’s Loan-Scholarship Program.
- Funding Support: Duke Sanford provides an up to 40% tuition waiver scholarship for admitted students for up to four semesters. COLFUTURO may provide support for remaining tuition and fees, living allowance, and other approved costs, according to its policies and procedures, up to USD $50,000 total for up to two years.
- Application Requirements: Students must apply separately to Duke Sanford for admission and to COLFUTURO for the Loan-Scholarship Program, following each institution’s standard application procedures and requirements.
- Who is Eligible: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who apply to and are admitted to Duke Sanford and are selected for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program. RPCVs have lifetime eligibility for the Coverdell Fellowship.
- Funding Support: RPCVs admitted to the MIDP program will receive a minimum scholarship of $28,854 with all partner-program applicants also considered for additional merit-based tuition assistance. Coverdell Fellows also complete a local community service internship for 10–12 hours per week during the academic year and receive a monthly stipend totaling $8,000 USD for the academic year.
- Application Requirements: Applicants should apply to Sanford’s standard admissions process and indicate their Returned Peace Corps Volunteer/Coverdell eligibility as directed.
Watch the Fall 2025 recorded webinar: Duke Sanford Peace Corps Coverdell RPCVs Fellowship
- Who is Eligible: Mexican students pursuing graduate study abroad who apply to and are admitted to Duke Sanford. The program is competitive and considers applicants who earned at least an 8.0 GPA on a 10-point scale during undergraduate study.
- Selection Preference: Applicants must be accepted to Duke Sanford and meet FUNED’s eligibility and selection requirements. The partnership is intended to support talented Mexican students pursuing master’s degrees abroad at leading universities.
- Funding Support: Duke Sanford offers accepted students a minimum 25% tuition scholarship through the FUNED partnership. FUNED may cover up to 40% of remaining costs.
- Application Requirements: Students must apply to Duke Sanford through the standard admissions process. Once accepted to Sanford, students may apply separately to FUNED for funding consideration.
- Who is Eligible: Guatemalan citizens pursuing high-quality postgraduate study programs abroad.
- Selection Preference: GUATEFUTURO evaluates based on factors including program/university quality, undergraduate academic performance, and personal profile.
- Funding Support: GUATEFUTURO may provide up to US $25,000 per year for a maximum of two years, for total loan-scholarship support of up to US $50,000. A scholarship/forgiveness portion may apply if beneficiaries complete their degree, return to Guatemala, and meet residency requirements.
- Application Requirements: Students must apply directly to GUATEFUTURO through its standard Loan-Scholarship Program process and meet GUATEFUTURO’s requirements. Students should review the official GUATEFUTURO website for current deadlines, eligibility rules, and application instructions.
- Who is Eligible: Students from Guanajuato, Mexico, who are selected by JuventudEsGTO and admitted to a Sanford graduate program.
- Funding Support: Students admitted to Sanford receive a minimum 25% tuition scholarship from Sanford and may receive additional support from JuventudEsGTO for eligible expenses such as tuition and living costs, according to its program rules and available funding.
- Application Requirements: Students must apply to Sanford through the standard admissions process. After receiving an admission letter, students should review the JuventudEsGTO/Talentos de Exportación call for applications and contact internacional@juventudesgto.gob.mx for details on applying for support.
Please see our Military Benefits page for more information on all Duke Affiliated Military Benefits.
Duke University’s Veterans Education Benefits Office administers all Veterans Benefits. The Duke University School Certifying Official (SCO) in the Office of the University Registrar may be reached via email (veteranseducation@duke.edu) or at 919.684.4225. Admitted students must submit their VA documents (i.e. VA Certificate of Eligibility letter, Purple Heart Certificate) to the SCO to start the VA benefit review process.
- Who is Eligible: Individuals committed to peace, development, international cooperation, and conflict resolution who are pursuing a master’s-level degree through the Rotary Peace Fellowship. At Duke, Rotary Peace Fellows study in the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) program.
- Funding Support: The Rotary Peace Fellowship provides full funding for the 21-month program, including tuition and university fees, a monthly stipend for room and board, a contingency fund, conference and research funding, summer internship support, and transportation between the fellow’s home and study destination at the start and end of the fellowship period.
- Application Requirements: Applicants must apply directly for the Rotary Peace Fellowship through Rotary’s application process. Applicants may indicate their preferred Rotary Peace Center placement, but final placement is determined by The Rotary Foundation. Rotary awardees assigned to Duke must then apply to and be admitted to Duke Sanford’s MIDP program
Sanford MIDP Funding Glossary
Sanford proudly offers funding support based on merit and financial need. This support is in the form of a tuition scholarship to MIDP applicants who apply by the January 5 priority deadline and indicate on their application that they would like to be considered for financial aid. No additional documentation is required for consideration.
At Duke, endowed funds provide sustainable financial support for scholarships, fellowships, and program enhancements—ensuring that future leaders have the resources to thrive and make a global impact.
The Sanford School of Public Policy offers numerous privately funded awards established by donors to support MIDP and Sanford students. Endowments often have specific eligibility criteria and are usually applied toward tuition costs.
MIDP endowments honor a student's excellence and promise as a changemaker, serving as the funding source for an established award. Availability of funds under this endowment varies from year to year.
Certain endowments require an additional essay for consideration.
The Sanford School of Public Policy offers numerous assistantship opportunities for graduate students both in fall and spring semesters. These assistantships include:
- Teaching assistantships (TA)
- Graduate assistantships (GA)
- Research assistantships (RA)
Fall assistantships are primarily assigned to returning, second-year students.
For the fiscal year 2026/27, Sanford assistantships are paid an hourly rate*:
- $17.25/hr for GAs
- $19.00/hr for TAs (usually an average of 10-12 hrs/week)
- $21.00/hr for TAs who already have experience as a Sanford TA
- RAs are usually working with faculty (for example, on a grant), and payment rates can vary. Minimum rates are usually $17.25/hr.
The number of hours per week students should expect to work varies depending on the type of assistantship. Sanford students may apply for assistantships as well as part-time employment available across Duke University. Under U.S. federal law, students may not work more than 19.9 hours a week on campus and still be considered full-time students. The expected number of work hours varies by position.
International students must obtain a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) or International Tax Identification Number (ITIN) to receive assistantship or other employment compensation. Duke University’s Visa Services Office and the Duke International Student Center (DISC) will assist you in obtaining the required documentation after you arrive.
* These rates can vary each year and are usually updated in the summer before the upcoming academic year.
While Sanford is proud to offer our students financial support, we are unable to offer full funding to all students, and we highly encourage students to research and apply to external funding opportunities.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for U.S. citizens and permanent residents seeking federal loans or need-based aid. Completing the FAFSA helps determine your eligibility for financial assistance.
Students are encouraged to submit their FAFSA as soon as it opens in order to be considered for maximum assistance. FASFA usually opens in October.
Additional resources are available through Duke University, including fellowships, assistantships, and campus employment. These opportunities can complement Sanford-specific funding.
Sanford is fortunate to cultivate collaborations and partnerships with external institutions that provide financial support for admitted students. Eligibility, applications, and benefits vary by partner.
External Funding Policy
All students have an ongoing obligation to notify the Duke MIDP Program Office upon receipt of external funding, scholarships, and grants obtained independently. The Duke MIDP Program reserves the right to amend financial aid awards if a student receives external funding.
Financial Aid Policies, Procedures, and Tools
Personal Assistance for Every Student
Our team assists with completing the federal checklist, verifying FAFSA, and determining all federal loan funding and federal work-study funds. Questions about student financial planning or your cost of attendance? Contact us at sanfordfinancialaid@duke.edu.