What Duke University Karsh International Scholars Program actually covers.
The Karsh International Scholars Program at Duke University is one of the most comprehensive and generous scholarships available to international undergraduate students at any U.S. institution. Established through a transformative gift from William and Cathy Karsh, the programme is explicitly designed for students who are not U.S. citizens or dual U.S. nationals and who demonstrate significant financial need — a deliberate choice to broaden access to Duke's world-class education for talented students from underrepresented parts of the globe. Africa is strongly represented in the Karsh cohort: past scholars have come from Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe, among other African nations. The scholarship covers the full cost of attendance — tuition, room and board, mandatory fees, and any demonstrated need beyond these costs — along with three summers of funding for research experiences, unpaid internships, or other career-building opportunities. There is no separate application for the Karsh scholarship. Students must apply to Duke through the regular admissions process and apply for financial aid simultaneously. Applications close in November (Early Decision) and January (Regular Decision). Duke is one of the world's preeminent research universities, ranked in the global top ten, and offers extraordinary programs across medicine, law, business, engineering, and the liberal arts. For high-achieving African students with demonstrated financial need who are capable of competing for admission to a top American university, the Karsh International Scholars Program represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Who can apply.
Open to undergraduate applicants seeking to study in United States. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before January 2, 2027 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Every scholarship on Scholar Africa goes through six checks (link, contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review). Duke University Karsh International Scholars Program currently scores 0.0/10.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.