Duke’s Affordable Action Plan

Duke University announced last week that it would offer full tuition grants starting this fall to students from North and South Carolina whose family income is less than $150,000. The new financial aid policy is notable not just for its high income cap and geographic specificity, but also for its timing. It comes in the midst of a weeks-long period of collective anticipation regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling in two cases that will determine the fate of affirmative action.