Merit scholars express concerns over socioeconomic diversity as OUSF moves to 'post-matriculation' scholarship notification

The Office of University Scholars and Fellows faces criticism from merit scholars who feel that their voices were not considered when deciding on the new “post-matriculation” model of awarding scholarships, with many concerned that the socioeconomic diversity of recipients will decline as a result.

In a January email to current merit scholars, OUSF announced they would be moving to a “post-matriculation” model of selection, meaning scholarship finalists would be notified of their financial aid status in May after the University finalized enrollment for the Class of 2028. Finalists would not be informed whether they actually received a scholarship until sometime in mid-June.

OUSF recently updated this timeline, announcing in an April 18 email to current merit scholars that finalists would be notified April 29 — two days before the enrollment deadline — due to “continued delays in receiving and processing [students’] Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.”

Merit scholarships at Duke cover the full cost of tuition, in addition to room, board and mandatory fees for incoming first-years. Scholarships are awarded through a recruitment process, meaning students are selected based on their application to Duke and do not submit any supplemental materials for consideration.

A number of current merit scholars expressed beliefs that the previous practice of awarding merit aid before the enrollment deadline was preferable.

“All that changing the policy does is decrease the amount of information that kids have to work with when making what could be one of the biggest decisions of their lives,” said junior Felix Jones, an Alumni Endowed Scholar, regarding the University’s decision to eliminate the recruitment process.

Many merit scholars said they would not have committed to Duke without the scholarship. They also raised concerns that eliminating the recruitment process will change the demographics of future scholars.

However, Jenny Wood Crowley, assistant vice provost for undergraduate education, noted that OUSF is firm in its decision to follow a post-matriculation model going forward.

OUSF hosted town hall sessions in January for scholars to learn about changes to the selection timeline. However, some scholars felt student perspectives were not adequately considered.

“When they had our town hall, it was mostly just to placate us rather than to have any sort of dialogue,” said senior Andres Cordoba, an Angier B. Duke Scholar. “ … I think the [OUSF] has done a very poor job of communicating with scholars from any scholarship despite their claims to do so.”

While disappointed that OUSF did not solicit student input, sophomore David Ntim, a Benjamin N. Duke Scholar, maintained his trust that OUSF would “do their best to ensure a fair” decision-making process.

Sophomore Senou Kounouho, an A.B. Duke Scholar, shares a similar feeling of dissatisfaction with OUSF’s communications. He said that although OUSF has taken many steps to mediate the situation, he wishes there were “more conversations between [OUSF] and the scholars.”

Concerns about reduced socioeconomic diversity

Every scholar interviewed by The Chronicle said committing to Duke initially was not an option for them due to financial reasons. They worry the new post-matriculation timeline will dissuade students with limited financial resources from enrolling.

Junior Monika Narain, an A.B. Duke Scholar, said that the previous pre-matriculation model “takes off a lot of burden” for low-income students choosing where to enroll.

Junior Sirena Lovato, a B.N. Duke Scholar agreed, noting that “no matter how much financial aid you get [from] Duke, it’s never going to make it worth it.” She added that the significantly increased affordability of state schools makes students less incentivized to choose costlier institutions like Duke.

“Even in conversations within my own scholarship [cohort], I'm not sure that we would have all committed to Duke and then waited for the scholarship,” said junior Sonia Green, a B.N. Duke Scholar.

Merit scholars maintained that the scholarship cohort represents a greater range of socioeconomic diversity “compared to the rest of the University.”

Duke faced scrutiny for its apparent lack of socioeconomic diversity last September after a New York Times Magazine article alleged that the University enrolled fewer Pell Grant students than its peer institutions.

According to the April 21 email from Crowley, OUSF moved to a post-matriculation model “for several reasons, including to help [Duke] recruit more Pell-eligible students.”

Jones noted that he thinks that these changes will ultimately mean that lower-income applicants will not “have as much of an opportunity” to attend Duke.

The shifting higher education landscape

Kounouho is neither for nor against the changes to merit scholarships. He agrees with Cordoba that “the recruitment aspect is historically central to the scholarship.” However, he understands the other factors shaping OUSF’s recent decision.

“I think Duke’s really worried about being sued,” Kounouho said. “They’ve [already] been sued and now have to deal with all [those] consequence[s].”

Student plaintiffs recently sued the University and 16 other elite institutions for illegally considering financial ability when making waitlist decisions. Plaintiffs also asserted the University artificially inflated the price of attendance, forcing students to spend more to attend college.

In January, Duke agreed to a $24 million settlement to address the claims that it violated the “need-blind” admissions condition of its exemption from federal antitrust laws. The University denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

University administration did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for comment on whether changes to the merit scholarships were made to avoid potential legal challenges in time for publication.

Cordoba also thinks “legal factors related to changes in affirmative action” may be at play.

The University joins a number of peer institutions that have signaled their desire to promote socioeconomic diversity in place of racial diversity. In light of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end race-based affirmative action, many universities are switching metrics to class-based affirmative action.

Duke ended its Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarship Program last month, which provided merit awards to select Black undergraduates. In its place, the philanthropic funding will go toward a race-neutral leadership program and need-based financial aid.

The University also recently created an Initiative for Students from the Carolinas to help decrease gaps in socioeconomic diversity. In fall 2023, Duke began providing full-tuition grants to students from the Carolinas with family incomes of $150,000 or less and provided additional financial aid for “housing, meals and some other course materials or other campus expenses” to those with family incomes of $65,000 or less.

Kounouho acknowledged that OUSF may be “between a rock and a hard place” as they try to avoid legal troubles while placating merit scholars.

He further believes the office must decide whether to prioritize “putting more into need-based aid” or to keep merit scholarships as a recruitment tool.

“The entire idea of a merit scholarship at an institution like Duke is something that needs to be [re]considered,” Kounouho said. “ … [Don’t] we all have some level of merit already being here?”