David M. Rubenstein Scholars Program

Established in 2016, the David M. Rubenstein Scholars Program is the first competitive merit scholarship at Duke that supports first-generation, low-income students financially, academically, personally and professionally. Scholars become part of the Duke Merit scholar community and are coached by faculty. They are offered with ongoing enrichment opportunities, which includes funding to study professional experiences.

Eligibility Criteria/ Scholarship Guidelines

Duke provides a multitude of opportunities to its undergraduates. We’re looking for students ready to respond to those opportunities intelligently, creatively and enthusiastically. We like ambition and curiosity, talent and persistence, energy and humanity.

Because the admissions process is so personal and related, it's impossible to suspect a candidate's chances of admission by looking at academic qualifications alone. We're educated in the beginning by our assessment of six primary factors:

The rigor of a candidate's academic program.

Academic performance as considered by grades in academic courses.

Letters of recommendation from two teachers and a counselor.

Extracurricular activities.

The quality of thought and statement in the application essay.

Standardized test scores.