Listed below are colleges that meet 90% and more of a family’s demonstrated financial need.
This list was based solely on using publicly available Common Data Set information that schools publish on their websites.
It’s not surprising that many selective colleges are included in this list, as many of these schools promise to meet 100% of need.
In addition, there are schools that are generous with need-based aid and are not as highly selective in their admissions process.
n particular, 41 schools on the list meet 90% or more of need and also have admissions rates of 40% or more.
In addition to looking at the percent of need met and the average need-based aid, data on graduation rates, % admitted, total price (in-state prices listed for public schools), and average net price by income range are provided.
Keep in mind that even though a college may meet a high percentage of a family’s need, it is the college that also determines what a family’s need is.
Some schools use FAFSA to determine need, but 75% of the schools on this list ask families to fill out the CSS Profile.
The CSS Profile asks for additional information about a family’s financial situation.
Schools use this information, along with their own calculations, to determine how much a family can contribute towards college.
This amount may vary from your EFC.
| Name | State Abbr | 4 yr Grad Rate | 5 yr Grad Rate | % Ad- mitted | Avg % of Need Met | Avg Need Based Award | Total Price (16-17) | Avg Net Price For Income $48,001-$75,000 | Avg Net Price For Income $75,001-$110,000 | Avg Net Price For Income over $110,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pikeville | KY | 15 | 26 | 100 | 90 | $18,081 | $37,700 | $20,476 | $20,483 | $20,153 |
| Hendrix College | AR | 64 | 69 | 77 | 90 | $34,350 | $58,120 | $19,313 | $24,535 | $27,815 |
| University of North Florida | FL | 26 | 47 | 65 | 90 | $6,515 | $21,210 | $13,535 | $16,173 | $19,244 |
| Knox College | IL | 69 | 75 | 65 | 90 | $31,323 | $54,515 | $20,635 | $23,832 | $29,758 |
| University of Massachusetts-Lowell | MA | 32 | 52 | 61 | 90 | $9,853 | $29,002 | $16,465 | $19,120 | $23,804 |
| Whitman College | WA | 83 | 87 | 51 | 90 | $32,417 | $61,972 | $21,821 | $28,061 | $43,539 |
| Gettysburg College | PA | 84 | 86 | 43 | 90 | $35,068 | $64,500 | $17,683 | $26,782 | $35,937 |
| George Washington University | DC | 76 | 82 | 40 | 90 | $32,167 | $67,225 | $26,883 | $29,667 | $44,178 |
| American University | DC | 76 | 80 | 26 | 90 | $30,045 | $62,272 | $26,394 | $31,693 | $46,282 |
| Dalton State College | GA | 5 | 15 | 90 | $3,500 | $15,206 | $11,250 | $9,388 | $10,645 | |
| Oral Roberts University | OK | 47 | 55 | 68 | 91 | $17,314 | $39,760 | $20,853 | $22,269 | $25,267 |
| Allegheny College | PA | 70 | 75 | 68 | 91 | $36,480 | $58,920 | $21,123 | $25,862 | $30,943 |
| DePauw University | IN | 78 | 83 | 65 | 91 | $38,681 | $60,888 | $18,006 | $22,112 | $30,797 |
| Sewanee-The University of the South | TN | 79 | 82 | 44 | 91 | $28,705 | $57,450 | $20,042 | $21,154 | $35,101 |
| Bucknell University | PA | 84 | 88 | 30 | 91 | $29,200 | $67,600 | $24,514 | $29,983 | $46,785 |
| Ithaca College | NY | 66 | 74 | 70 | 92 | $28,655 | $59,918 | $30,696 | $33,703 | $40,717 |
| Luther College | IA | 72 | 78 | 68 | 92 | $30,804 | $52,595 | $22,099 | $25,051 | $28,416 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | MN | 78 | 79 | 65 | 92 | $32,990 | $54,280 | $15,979 | $25,476 | $27,946 |
| Westminster College | MO | 56 | 63 | 65 | 92 | $18,575 | $38,650 | $19,507 | $20,122 | $22,512 |
| San Jose State University | CA | 11 | 44 | 53 | 92 | $12,461 | $27,039 | $15,681 | $18,809 | $22,068 |
| Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology | NY | 26 | 53 | 92 | $11,354 | $45,405 | $32,205 | $25,315 | $32,956 | |
| Albion College | MI | 61 | 70 | 72 | 93 | $40,241 | $54,150 | $15,786 | $24,740 | $27,298 |
| Clark University | MA | 71 | 75 | 55 | 93 | $27,747 | $53,350 | $20,467 | $20,750 | $32,680 |
| Fort Valley State University | GA | 8 | 20 | 26 | 93 | $6,510 | $20,044 | $16,582 | $18,681 | $16,916 |
| Valparaiso University | IN | 54 | 64 | 83 | 94 | $28,968 | $51,190 | $19,566 | $22,324 | $25,873 |
| Earlham College | IN | 65 | 69 | 58 | 94 | $38,564 | $57,870 | $21,256 | $21,635 | $32,756 |
| Rhodes College | TN | 76 | 79 | 54 | 94 | $31,593 | $59,754 | $24,675 | $24,824 | $31,385 |
| Beloit College | WI | 64 | 71 | 70 | 95 | $32,586 | $57,506 | $9,213 | $24,994 | $19,701 |
| Wheaton College | MA | 76 | 79 | 67 | 95 | $32,620 | $63,512 | $27,031 | $26,835 | $36,365 |
| Hampshire College | MA | 51 | 63 | 64 | 95 | $38,891 | $65,212 | $22,643 | $31,158 | $44,324 |
| Brandeis University | MA | 83 | 87 | 33 | 95 | $40,150 | $68,125 | $26,730 | $26,514 | $48,839 |
| Southwestern Oklahoma State University | OK | 17 | 29 | 91 | 96 | $1,491 | $19,518 | $12,225 | $13,827 | $15,308 |
| SUNY College at Potsdam | NY | 35 | 49 | 72 | 96 | $9,812 | $23,394 | $17,231 | $18,351 | $20,818 |
| Kalamazoo College | MI | 73 | 80 | 66 | 96 | $34,678 | $57,116 | $17,916 | $24,806 | $31,198 |
| Lawrence University | WI | 64 | 78 | 63 | 96 | $36,619 | $56,823 | $21,074 | $24,545 | $32,056 |
| Walla Walla University | WA | 24 | 46 | 62 | 96 | $5,605 | $38,133 | $22,037 | $23,966 | $26,322 |
| Southwestern University | TX | 66 | 71 | 45 | 96 | $30,013 | $52,650 | $19,789 | $25,045 | $29,335 |
| University of Miami | FL | 70 | 80 | 38 | 96 | $32,486 | $64,306 | $23,046 | $34,005 | $37,351 |
| Lehigh University | PA | 77 | 88 | 26 | 96 | $41,234 | $63,075 | $18,432 | $28,417 | $45,419 |
| Valdosta State University | GA | 16 | 32 | 65 | 97 | $6,862 | $20,403 | $16,820 | $16,828 | $17,450 |
| Wabash College | IN | 64 | 71 | 63 | 97 | $34,044 | $53,150 | $16,151 | $25,171 | $30,573 |
| Trinity University | TX | 68 | 76 | 41 | 97 | $30,334 | $54,714 | $15,470 | $25,211 | $31,747 |
| Northeastern State University | OK | 9 | 21 | 94 | 98 | $7,417 | $16,833 | $10,389 | $11,872 | $12,283 |
| Berea College | KY | 48 | 61 | 33 | 98 | $31,803 | $35,042 | $6,805 | $5,351 | $34,980 |
| Tulane University of Louisiana | LA | 72 | 82 | 26 | 98 | $32,702 | $67,114 | $27,623 | $31,907 | $41,845 |
| University of Florida | FL | 67 | 84 | 46 | 99 | $7,711 | $21,251 | $8,732 | $11,381 | $16,950 |
| St Olaf College | MN | 85 | 88 | 45 | 99 | $32,991 | $56,160 | $15,816 | $23,307 | $34,295 |
| Dickinson College | PA | 81 | 84 | 43 | 99 | $40,052 | $66,779 | $17,286 | $27,738 | $41,768 |
| University of Dayton | OH | 59 | 74 | 60 | 100 | $28,208 | $56,370 | $25,546 | $32,471 | $32,428 |
| Mount Holyoke College | MA | 78 | 83 | 52 | 100 | $37,011 | $61,206 | $17,552 | $25,012 | $34,710 |
| Occidental College | CA | 76 | 81 | 46 | 100 | $41,801 | $69,442 | $17,877 | $28,448 | $44,977 |
| Bryn Mawr College | PA | 78 | 82 | 40 | 100 | $41,321 | $66,160 | $17,319 | $26,616 | $41,012 |
| College of the Holy Cross | MA | 89 | 92 | 38 | 100 | $36,511 | $64,065 | $17,426 | $28,718 | $44,629 |
| Macalester College | MN | 84 | 87 | 37 | 100 | $42,208 | $64,007 | $17,423 | $24,111 | $38,132 |
| Union College | NY | 81 | 87 | 37 | 100 | $36,393 | $66,360 | $20,847 | $27,861 | $41,037 |
| Smith College | MA | 86 | 88 | 37 | 100 | $43,839 | $66,647 | $17,814 | $25,227 | $41,073 |
| Franklin and Marshall College | PA | 83 | 86 | 36 | 100 | $44,761 | $67,880 | $16,408 | $28,337 | $45,393 |
| Connecticut College | CT | 81 | 84 | 35 | 100 | $39,698 | $67,000 | $23,651 | $26,844 | $42,811 |
| Trinity College | CT | 80 | 84 | 34 | 100 | $44,394 | $68,940 | $14,032 | $23,584 | $43,062 |
| University of Richmond | VA | 84 | 88 | 32 | 100 | $40,204 | $63,040 | $14,515 | $24,851 | $40,438 |
| Reed College | OR | 66 | 76 | 31 | 100 | $37,665 | $67,250 | $17,437 | $22,565 | $39,301 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | 88 | 93 | 30 | 100 | $21,517 | $31,186 | $14,374 | $21,964 | $27,814 |
| Scripps College | CA | 80 | 84 | 30 | 100 | $35,730 | $68,464 | $22,738 | $25,661 | $42,350 |
| Wake Forest University | NC | 84 | 87 | 30 | 100 | $42,637 | $66,512 | $13,521 | $29,042 | $44,330 |
| Northeastern University | MA | 0 | 83 | 29 | 100 | $34,803 | $65,503 | $17,573 | $31,239 | $40,453 |
| Wellesley College | MA | 83 | 89 | 29 | 100 | $48,433 | $65,966 | $12,581 | $22,141 | $42,274 |
| Colgate University | NY | 85 | 89 | 29 | 100 | $48,355 | $67,290 | $17,589 | $19,989 | $42,628 |
| Skidmore College | NY | 85 | 88 | 29 | 100 | $41,900 | $67,000 | $15,261 | $21,866 | $47,352 |
| Oberlin College | OH | 71 | 84 | 28 | 100 | $37,998 | $68,670 | $24,134 | $24,241 | $42,076 |
| Lafayette College | PA | 85 | 88 | 28 | 100 | $44,113 | $66,105 | $21,404 | $26,343 | $46,329 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | 84 | 90 | 27 | 100 | $17,240 | $24,898 | $12,074 | $18,954 | $23,197 |
| Vassar College | NY | 87 | 90 | 27 | 100 | $46,243 | $67,740 | $12,188 | $18,427 | $36,810 |
| Kenyon College | OH | 89 | 90 | 27 | 100 | $43,736 | $66,670 | $15,911 | $23,146 | $41,962 |
| Hamilton College | NY | 89 | 91 | 26 | 100 | $43,936 | $65,750 | $9,788 | $20,882 | $40,022 |
| Washington and Lee University | VA | 88 | 89 | 24 | 100 | $40,072 | $63,500 | $8,962 | $17,605 | $34,627 |
| Carleton College | MN | 88 | 91 | 23 | 100 | $42,019 | $66,490 | $14,682 | $22,941 | $38,398 |
| Bates College | ME | 84 | 87 | 23 | 100 | $44,063 | $66,550 | $12,108 | $21,523 | $38,977 |
| Haverford College | PA | 86 | 90 | 21 | 100 | $46,398 | $69,387 | $12,110 | $25,956 | $42,279 |
| Grinnell College | IA | 81 | 84 | 20 | 100 | $41,090 | $63,838 | $17,563 | $22,792 | $35,726 |
| Davidson College | NC | 91 | 95 | 20 | 100 | $43,859 | $64,698 | $11,982 | $17,498 | $39,244 |
| Colby College | ME | 84 | 89 | 19 | 100 | $43,762 | $65,824 | $17,088 | $24,111 | $37,890 |
| University of Notre Dame | IN | 90 | 95 | 19 | 100 | $39,044 | $67,043 | $14,893 | $23,099 | $40,922 |
| Williams College | MA | 86 | 93 | 18 | 100 | $50,286 | $68,430 | $10,448 | $16,899 | $42,003 |
| Wesleyan University | CT | 87 | 91 | 18 | 100 | $47,653 | $67,527 | $11,996 | $25,474 | $42,819 |
| Barnard College | NY | 82 | 90 | 17 | 100 | $46,876 | $68,512 | $16,092 | $22,360 | $41,048 |
| Washington University in St Louis | MO | 88 | 93 | 17 | 100 | $43,839 | $69,754 | $13,208 | $28,458 | $44,102 |
| Georgetown University | DC | 90 | 94 | 17 | 100 | $41,492 | $69,313 | $15,540 | $23,967 | $48,345 |
| University of Southern California | CA | 77 | 90 | 17 | 100 | $36,995 | $69,711 | $21,751 | $32,515 | $51,147 |
| Middlebury College | VT | 85 | 92 | 16 | 100 | $47,092 | $66,332 | $13,966 | $17,448 | $38,052 |
| Colorado College | CO | 82 | 86 | 16 | 100 | $47,140 | $66,400 | $4,349 | $22,688 | $44,605 |
| Bowdoin College | ME | 89 | 94 | 15 | 100 | $42,165 | $65,590 | $11,057 | $19,367 | $34,142 |
| Rice University | TX | 83 | 91 | 15 | 100 | $37,253 | $60,518 | $10,080 | $22,683 | $38,701 |
| Pitzer College | CA | 83 | 87 | 14 | 100 | $42,956 | $68,192 | $14,904 | $22,781 | $41,949 |
| Amherst College | MA | 86 | 92 | 14 | 100 | $52,482 | $68,986 | $13,268 | $20,406 | $43,142 |
| Cornell University | NY | 87 | 93 | 14 | 100 | $40,333 | $67,613 | $15,456 | $26,486 | $46,258 |
| Tufts University | MA | 87 | 91 | 14 | 100 | $42,971 | $68,190 | $18,872 | $24,260 | $47,538 |
| Swarthmore College | PA | 88 | 93 | 13 | 100 | $46,897 | $66,549 | $12,638 | $23,368 | $37,004 |
| Harvey Mudd College | CA | 85 | 91 | 13 | 100 | $41,649 | $71,917 | $25,102 | $18,643 | $42,967 |
| Vanderbilt University | TN | 87 | 91 | 11 | 100 | $48,559 | $64,654 | $8,451 | $14,835 | $32,921 |
| Northwestern University | IL | 84 | 92 | 11 | 100 | $42,976 | $70,496 | $12,763 | $28,038 | $40,222 |
| Dartmouth College | NH | 88 | 95 | 11 | 100 | $51,461 | $69,474 | $10,048 | $19,568 | $44,204 |
| Duke University | NC | 86 | 93 | 11 | 100 | $46,370 | $69,169 | $7,880 | $25,085 | $48,925 |
| University of Pennsylvania | PA | 85 | 93 | 9 | 100 | $45,711 | $69,340 | $12,322 | $19,870 | $37,370 |
| Pomona College | CA | 92 | 97 | 9 | 100 | $50,686 | $67,357 | $6,975 | $13,363 | $37,440 |
| Claremont McKenna College | CA | 86 | 92 | 9 | 100 | $49,208 | $69,385 | $18,096 | $20,675 | $43,992 |
| Brown University | RI | 84 | 94 | 9 | 100 | $43,186 | $68,106 | $12,697 | $22,282 | $44,695 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | 84 | 91 | 8 | 100 | $42,351 | $65,478 | $8,633 | $17,992 | $42,237 |
| California Institute of Technology | CA | 81 | 89 | 8 | 100 | $44,074 | $66,774 | $6,781 | $20,077 | $42,977 |
| Princeton University | NJ | 89 | 96 | 7 | 100 | $49,870 | $63,690 | $4,557 | $16,967 | $32,706 |
| Yale University | CT | 86 | 96 | 6 | 100 | $52,831 | $68,950 | $6,551 | $16,229 | $36,367 |
| Stanford University | CA | 75 | 89 | 5 | 100 | $47,664 | $66,696 | $4,061 | $18,212 | $39,853 |
| Harvard University | MA | 86 | 96 | 5 | 100 | $47,053 | $66,900 | $6,577 | $21,958 | $44,238 |
Due to lack of consistent sources, the data in this chart is from multiple years. IPEDS data (graduation rate, total price, and average net price) is from ’16-’17. Common Data Set information (% of need met, average need aid) is from the most recent year of public available data. The information is based on freshmen amounts. Average net price is based on information for families that have filed FAFSA and may not be as representative of average net price for families with incomes greater than $110k if a large percent of higher income families have not filed FAFSA.ownload the List of Colleges Meeting 90% and More Financial Need
CONNECT WITH OTHER PARENTS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE
JOIN ONE OR ALL OF OUR FACEBOOK GROUPS:
HOW TO FIND MERIT SCHOLARSHIPSSaveSave
This story was first shared in our Paying for College 101 Facebook community. It’s been edited for clarity and flow.
For many families, saving up enough money to cover the entire cost of their children’s higher education just isn’t possible.
If you made a mistake when submitting the FAFSA, contact your school’s financial aid office and let them know. They
At Road2College you’ll find everything you need to make the admissions and paying for college process less stressful and more transparent.
Explore College Insights™ — your source for finding affordable colleges and merit scholarships.
Get coaching on admissions and college financing.
Join Road2College where parents and experts work together to inform and inspire college-bound families.
By Grade:
By Stage in the Process:
Ad Policy Disclaimer: Product name, logo, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within Road2College are the property of their respective trademark holders. Information obtained via Road2College™ is for educational purposes only. Please consult a licensed financial professional before making any financial decisions. This site may be compensated through third party advertisers. This site is not endorsed or affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education. By visiting Road2College’s site, you accept and agree to be bound by Road2College’s Terms of Use.
