For many students that want to attend college or university, that dream might be short-ended due to a family’s financial restraints. More than 140 colleges in the U.S. claim to provide enough grants to meet at least 90% of the “demonstrated financial need” of their incoming undergrad students. But each school gets to decide for themselves what a student’s needs are, leading to very inconsistent definitions.
The schools featured in this list were determined based on a variety of numbers, including colleges’ need-based aid budgets and the average net prices they charge low-income students.
One reason many of these schools offer a lot of aid is that they are expensive, to begin with. They also tend to be highly competitive to get into, so they aren’t for everyone. If you are able to meet their academic or even athletic requirements, these schools could be a fantastic option to consider.
Here are just some of the schools to consider:
- Princeton University
- Harvard University
- Rice University
- Pomona College
- California Institute of Technology
- Duke University
- Davidson College
- Washington and Lee University
- Vanderbilt University
All of these schools and more provide generous amounts of aid to their students with a higher demonstrated amount of need. This list is not provided in any particular order.
Resources:
Clark, K. (n.d.). The 28 Best Colleges for Need-Based Financial Aid. Retrieved August 06, 2020,