How does the Karsh scholarship work? How often does Duke accept NZ students in financial aid?
Karsh scholarship is a form scholarship given only to international students and it covers all tuition, room and boarding and all other mandatory fees. In addition $7000 will be provided for research/service opportunities throughout three summers in college. In order to be considered for the scholarship, you only need to apply to Duke and demonstrate that you need financial aid. Finalists will be selected by their academic and leadership potential and will be interviewed (over Skype) during late March. In the class of 2020, one student from New Zealand received the Karsh scholarship. I know another student from NZ who also received the scholarship 3 years ago. Statistically, around 10 international students receive Karsh scholarship per year. This scholarship is an alternative to the Robertson scholarship and has no limits on how many students per country can receive it.
Additionally, I personally do not know any students from nz who are receiving financial aid in any form other than Robertson and Karsh scholarship. On a further side note, even if you do not receive any scholarship before getting in, you will have plenty of opportunities to apply for scholarships throughout your career at Duke. For example, first year students are still eligible for the Robertson scholarship.
For more information, check the official website for the karsh scholarship and it’s FAQ page: https://karshscholars.duke.edu