Colleges That Report Meeting Full Financial Need
Lots of families can't afford to pay the full sticker price that a college charges.
So, universities, especially private schools, are increasingly awarding institutional and federal dollars to help families chip away at their sometimes sky-high price tags.
Among them, a few dozen colleges and universities meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need. That means that they use a combination of loans, scholarships, grants and work-study to fill the gap between the cost of attendance -- room and board, tuition, fees and other expenses -- and what a family can contribute.
[Discover how to determine whether a college is affordable for you.]
The amount a family can pay is typically determined by the information they provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, including tax data, assets and family size. Some schools' formulas may also include information not provided on the FAFSA.
Of the 1,136 colleges and universities that submitted financial need data to U.S. News, just 62 of them report covering full need for undergraduate students in fall 2014.
[Explore 10 tools that give you a tailored estimate of what you'll pay for college.]
Most of the schools with this financial aid policy are highly ranked private colleges and universities. Among them are Princeton University, ranked No. 1 among National Universities, and Williams College, ranked first among National Liberal Arts Colleges.
Overall, nearly two-thirds of schools meeting full need for undergraduates rank within the top 20 of their categories. About one-third place in the top 10 of their categories.
[Discover the 2016 Best Value Schools.]
One group of schools nearly absent from this list is public universities. While they tend to have lower sticker prices than their private peers, just a couple of public schools meet full need, including the University of Virginia and University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill.
Below are the colleges and universities that claimed to meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates in fall 2014.
School name (state) | U.S. News rank and category |
---|---|
Amherst College (MA) | 2, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Amridge University (AL) | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Barnard College (NY) | 29 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Bates College (ME) | 25 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Boston College | 30 (tie), National Universities |
Bowdoin College (ME) | 4 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Brown University (RI) | 14, National Universities |
Bryn Mawr College (PA) | 25 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
California Institute of Technology | 10 (tie), National Universities |
Carleton College (MN) | 8, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Claremont McKenna College (CA) | 9 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Colby College (ME) | 19 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Colgate University (NY) | 19 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
College of the Holy Cross (MA) | 32 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Colorado College | 25 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Columbia University (NY) | 4 (tie), National Universities |
Connecticut College | 48 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Cornell University (NY) | 15 (tie), National Universities |
Dartmouth College (NH) | 12 (tie), National Universities |
Davidson College (NC) | 9 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Duke University (NC) | 8, National Universities |
Franklin and Marshall College (PA) | 40 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Georgetown University (DC) | 21 (tie), National Universities |
Grinnell College (IA) | 19 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Hamilton College (NY) | 14 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Harvard University (MA) | 2, National Universities |
Haverford College (PA) | 12 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Macalester College (MN) | 23 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 7, National Universities |
Middlebury College (VT) | 4 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Mount Holyoke College (MA) | 35, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Northwestern University (IL) | 12 (tie), National Universities |
Oberlin College (OH) | 23 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Occidental College (CA) | 43 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Pitzer College (CA) | 36, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Pomona College (CA) | 4 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Princeton University (NJ) | 1, National Universities |
Rice University (TX) | 18 (tie), National Universities |
Salem College (NC) | 136 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Scripps College (CA) | 29 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Smith College (MA) | 14 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Soka University of America (CA) | 45 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Stanford University (CA) | 4 (tie), National Universities |
Swarthmore College (PA) | 3, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Thomas Aquinas College (CA) | 82 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Trinity College (CT) | 43 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Tufts University (MA) | 27 (tie), National Universities |
University of Chicago | 4 (tie), National Universities |
University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill | 30 (tie), National Universities |
University of Notre Dame (IN) | 18 (tie), National Universities |
University of Pennsylvania | 9, National Universities |
University of Richmond (VA) | 32 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
University of Southern California | 23 (tie), National Universities |
University of Virginia | 26, National Universities |
Vanderbilt University (TN) | 15 (tie), National Universities |
Vassar College (NY) | 12 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Washington and Lee University (VA) | 14 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Washington University in St. Louis | 15 (tie), National Universities |
Wellesley College (MA) | 4 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Wesleyan University (CT) | 14 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Williams College (MA) | 1, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Yale University (CT) | 3, National Universities |
The financial need data above are correct as of Sept. 14, 2015. For complete financial aid data, full rankings and much more, access the U.S. News College Compass.
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