Duke Karsh International Scholarship 2027: Fully Funded Guide for International Students

The short answer

The Karsh International Scholarship is a fully funded undergraduate award at Duke University for international students. It covers tuition, room and board, mandatory fees, demonstrated financial need beyond those costs, and three summers of funding for research, unpaid internships, and other academic opportunities.

There is no separate scholarship application. You apply to Duke for undergraduate admission and request financial aid, and Duke considers you for Karsh automatically. For fall 2027 entry, the deadlines are 2 November 2026 (Early Decision) and 4 January 2027 (Regular Decision).

What the Karsh Scholarship covers

Duke’s Office of University Scholars and Fellows lists the coverage as:

• Full tuition
• Room and board
• Mandatory fees
• Demonstrated financial need that goes beyond tuition, room and board, and fees
• Three summers of funding for research, unpaid internships, and other opportunities that advance your academic career

The funding runs across four years of undergraduate study. Duke does not publish a fixed dollar value for the 2027 award, so treat any exact figure you see on third-party blogs as an estimate, not an official number.

Who can apply

Duke’s official criteria are short:

• You are an international applicant. The scholarship is for non-US students; US citizens apply through the domestic admission route.
• You show documented financial need. Duke treats this as a hard requirement for Karsh consideration.
• You have strong academic preparation.
• You are starting an undergraduate degree. Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree are not in the target group.
• You apply to any undergraduate field. Karsh is not tied to one major; scholars study everything from engineering to public policy.

Duke does not set a fixed number of Karsh awards per year. Recent entering classes had about ten scholars: the Class of 2023 had ten and the Class of 2028 had eleven. Expect single digits to low teens, and treat the award as highly competitive.

Deadlines for fall 2027 entry

These are Duke’s published 2026-27 cycle dates from the undergraduate admissions office. The financial-aid dates matter as much as the application date, because Karsh requires demonstrated need.

Item	Early Decision	Regular Decision
Application	2 November 2026	4 January 2027
CSS Profile and FAFSA	2 November 2026	1 February 2027
Additional aid documents	15 November 2026	15 February 2027
Optional Glimpse interview	9 November 2026	11 January 2027
Decision released	Mid-December 2026	Late March / early April 2027

Duke lists SAT and ACT scores as optional for this cycle. Missing the financial-aid deadlines can cost you consideration, so file the CSS Profile in the same round as your application.

How to apply, step by step

1. Submit your first-year application to Duke through the Common Application by 2 November 2026 (Early Decision) or 4 January 2027 (Regular Decision). Include your transcript, school report with counselor recommendation, and two teacher recommendations.

2. Request financial aid. File the CSS Profile (and the FAFSA if you are eligible for it) by the date for your round.

3. Send any additional aid documents, such as tax records, by 15 November (ED) or 15 February (RD).

4. Do nothing else for Karsh. There is no separate form, essay, or nomination. Duke’s wording is direct: apply to Duke University and request financial aid.

5. Optional: complete the Glimpse video interview by the date for your round. It is not required.

Early Decision or Regular Decision?

Early Decision is binding: if Duke admits you, you commit to enroll. Regular Decision is non-binding and keeps your options open. Both rounds are considered for the Karsh Scholarship.

One detail helps aid applicants. Under Duke’s Early Decision agreement, if you are seeking financial aid you do not have to withdraw your other applications until Duke notifies you about your aid package. So applying ED does not mean accepting blind on cost.

Choose ED only if Duke is your clear first choice and you are ready with the application and the CSS Profile by early November. Otherwise Regular Decision gives you the same scholarship consideration with more time.

What Karsh Scholars actually do at Duke

Karsh Scholars form a cohort of international students who, in Duke’s words, are intellectually and civically engaged. The program centers on interdisciplinary inquiry, academic research, and scholarship in the service of society.

The three funded summers are the practical core of this. Scholars use them for research projects, unpaid internships, or other academic work in Durham, elsewhere in the US, or abroad, including in their home countries. For a Pakistani student, that can mean funded research back in Pakistan during a summer, not just on campus.

Frequently asked questions

Other fully funded US undergraduate scholarships

If Duke is on your list, these US undergraduate awards are worth a parallel application: the Eastern Michigan University Presidential Scholarship 2027, the University of Richmond Scholars Scholarship 2027, and, for Pakistani applicants, the Scotland Pakistan Scholarship 2026-27.

Final note

Verify the dates on Duke’s admissions pages before you submit, since universities can adjust deadlines. Start the CSS Profile early: for most international families it takes longer than expected to gather the documents.