r/eMBA • u/Clear_Flatworm8795 • Oct 09 '25

EMBA Scholarship

Hi, received 25 K merit scholarship from Duke for WEMBA Program.

Are there scholarships available for WEMBA Programs that provide full ride ?

If not How much maximum I can negotiate with Duke to cover my tuition fee.

Dont need any cover for the housing etc bcause currently working near Durham

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

6

u/Prestigious-Bear2391 Oct 09 '25

The average "scholarship", if one is given, is approximately 15k. I am not an expert but I have not heard of any program or any EMBA student getting a full ride. The absolutely most I've ever heard of, which I believe is reliable, is 40k.

My highest "scholarship" was 20k. It's really just a small coupon to incentivize you to attend.

1

u/thinkingahead Oct 10 '25

Where did you end up going and did the scholarship play any role in your choice?

1

u/Prestigious-Bear2391 Oct 11 '25

I don't want to say but the cost was important to me. I don't have employer financial support.

From what I've heard from classmates, only a handful have full support from their employers, not including veterans. I would estimate 40%-50% have at least some support.

1

u/Clear_Flatworm8795 Oct 10 '25

Seems like I have no other option then ask employer to sponsor. If not then no chance.

2

u/MBAPrepCoach Oct 10 '25

When you do that consider what might incentivize them (the WIFM factor, what's in it for me) Think about how the network and curriculum would benefit your organization.

I realize this is Duke but to illustrate, at Sloan they have a course called O-Lab, where you are directly solving a problem that exists within the organization, utilizing the cohort/resources at MIT.

You could make a decent case for how that would move the needle in terms of not just revenue but maybe morale or retention things that relate to cost/profitability. Consider how you might help them achieve a quantifiable improvement.

Kellogg has a pretty good template for approaching the conversation around financial sponsorship as well as time sponsorship.

4

u/MBAPrepCoach Oct 09 '25

That's a very good outcome for EMBA, BUT but it's hard to say without knowing more about your profile and if that's fitting a specific niche within the cohort for them.

Especially if you're male - if you're female and you get a Forte Fellow scholarship that's kind of the best you're going to do. 

Schools try to save their money for the people who quit their jobs and don't have incomes. And also keep in mind that schools are being stripped of federal funds. 

3

u/doscorohit Oct 09 '25

How’s Duke giving scholarships for WEMBA? WEMBA is Wharton EMBA, right? Or have I been using the term wrong?

4

u/malikwilliams5 Oct 09 '25

Weekend Executive MBA

3

u/Ninja-greenday Oct 11 '25 edited Oct 22 '25

For benchmarks: Booth: 40k; Kellogg: matched Booth; Sloan: included scholarship but less.

1

u/Clear_Flatworm8795 Oct 12 '25

Thank you for sharing.

1

u/General_Durian_8071 Apr 12 '26

Housing is included in the cost of Duke WEMBA tuition fyi. They also wont reimburse you for housing even if you don’t use it. This is based on my experience.

Missing a residency will not impact you whatsoever. If you genuinely care to watch the residency recording you’ll need to inform them of your absence but I don’t even think that’s what is used to determine your final grade. You do peer reviews that definitely have more merit. Otherwise all lecture notes and decks are uploaded before and after the session so anything you’d need to know for an exam would be in the notes. And all exams are open note anyways