<p>Does Duke give equal consideration for merit aid to students who apply Early Decision, or are those students disadvantaged in merit aid consideration because they have already signed a binding agreement to attend, allowing Duke to instead focus merit aid on attracting top Regular Decision applicants?</p>
<p>Excellent question....but I doubt that anybody here knows the true answer.</p>
<p>In the case of most schools, prevailing thinking is that ED students are usually at a disadvantage for aid as compared to RD students. But flipkid is right, who the hell knows? Especially this year, given the crazed economy and the various reactions to it by schools. And how Duke itself does things may be different from the norm.</p>
<p>Does Duke even give merit aid? Did not know that...</p>
<p>Yes Duke does give merit scholarships.</p>
<p>They don't give out too many, but the ones they do give are generous. I had guessed that they were probably largely used in the Regular Decision process to lure students who might have otherwise attended elsewhere and that they would not be utilized on Early Decision students since they are obligated to attend Duke. But perhaps I am too cynical. Does anyone know of a student who received the Robertson or other merit aid scholarship from Duke who was originally accepted through the Early Decision process?</p>