Duke Law School has limited financial assistance to offer international students. A small amount of scholarship assistance based on merit is awarded to outstanding applicants. Very qualified applicants should submit with their application a letter requesting scholarship consideration and explaining the basis for merit consideration.
Applicants are encouraged to seek scholarship information from the American consulate about available scholarships granted by the U.S. government and other sources. They should also seek information about scholarships in their home countries. A substantial number of Duke LLM students have been recipients of scholarships granted by the Fulbright Program, DAAD, the Rotary Foundation, the World Bank, and a variety of national, state, corporate, university, and law firm sponsors. Applicants should also use the web to search for other potential sources of funding. Please see Possible Funding Resources for International Students for suggestions.
Duke Law School will be glad to provide any documentation necessary for sponsors and should be informed about any scholarship awards. Please let us know if sponsors request an early admission decision. In special cases, early decisions can be provided.
Proof of financial support is necessary before the visa process can be started. The amount estimated for the 2008-09 academic year for the student alone is approximately USD $59,000. Accompanying family members will require additional funding. Once a student has matriculated, no scholarship assistance can be awarded. Some international students identify positions at the Law School as library or faculty assistants, but the remuneration is not substantial. Enrolled students may work at the University for no more than 20 hours a week. Students may not seek employment outside the University during the academic year.
Scholarships
Duke Law School has established two half-tuition merit scholarships for extremely well-qualified students to attend the 2008-2009 LLM program. Outstanding applicants should submit with their LLM application a letter including the following information: (1) a statement describing major professional, academic, and other qualifications, (2) reasons for applying for the scholarship, such as what you can contribute to the Duke Law community, and (3) names of persons other than those on the LLM application who can be contacted for additional references.
Granting of scholarship requests will be announced concurrently with admission decisions.
Possible Funding Resources for International Students
American Association of University Women Educational Foundation Fellowships and Grants
http://www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/international.cfm
Arthur C. Helton Fellowship Program "micro-grants" for students in Human Rights area
http://www.asil.org/aboutasil/HeltonApplication.html
Australian Federation of University Women Scholarships
http://www.afuw.org.au/ScholarshipsFS.htm
Australian Federation of University Women Fellowship Fund
http://www.afuwqfellowships.com/welcome-f.html
DAAD Scholarships for German Citizens
http://www.daad.org/
Daimler Benz Foundation (Stipends for German doctoral students studying in the U.S.)
http://www.daimler-benz-stiftung.de/animation/animation.html
Edmund S. Muskie and Freedom Support Act Graduate Fellowship Programs
http://www.irex.org/programs/muskie/index.asp
Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP)
http://www.fordfound.org/news/more/11272000ifp/
Fulbright Grant
http://www.fulbrightalumni.org/olc/pub/FBA/cpages/gfn/grants.jsp
Fulbright Grants for Israeli Doctoral Students
http://www.fulbright.org.il/index.php?id=718
Fulbright Grants for Students from Turkey
http://www.fulbright.org.tr/
Fulbright Program for Students from the Middle East and North Africa
http://www.amideast.org/programs_services/exchange_programs/fulbright/default.htm
Golden Key National Honor Society Member Scholarships
http://www.goldenkey.org/GKweb/ScholarshipsandAwards/ScholarshipandAwardListing/TheGoldenKeyGraduateScholarAward.htm
Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD) of the Organization of American States (OAS) Graduate Fellowships Program
http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/becas/graduate1a.aspx?culture=en&tabindex=44&childindex=46
International Federation of University Women (Scholarships for women from Australia, France, Great Britain, India, Israel, Japan, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland and USA)
http://www.ifuw.org/i_fell.htm
Japanese Association of University Women
http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~jauw/
Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowships & Grants for Polish Citizens
http://www.kosciuszkofoundation.org/EDScholarships.html
Mackenzie King Scholarships for Canadians
http://www.mkingscholarships.ca/index-e.html
Organization of Istanbul Armenians Scholarship
http://www.oia.net
P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund for Women
http://www.peointernational.org/about/
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/index.html
World Bank Group Family Network - "Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund" (MMMF)
(click on MMMF in the left column)
World Bank Scholarships Program
http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/scholarships/scholarshipsEnglish/jjwbgsp/overview.html