Where Students Are Happy With Their Financial Aid

To many incoming college students, campus fit is worth thinking about. If you care about how living in a beautiful place, you might avoid schools known for having ugly campuses. If school spirit is your thing, you might be happier at schools where students crowd into the stadium for the big game.

But when it comes to actually picking a school, tuition and your financial aid package are among the most important factors.

According to Money Magazine, more than 140 U.S. colleges claim that they meet at least 90% of  “demonstrated financial need” for undergraduates. But since each school defines “demonstrated financial need” for themselves, some schools might be stingier than others.

Once a year, The Princeton Review ranks colleges on how satisfied students are with their financial aid packages. Surveys are sent to almost 400 schools, and the rankings are created based on student responses. Below, Poets&Quants has compiled the three most recent lists of colleges with great financial aid.

Ranking The Colleges With ‘Great Financial Aid’ From 2015 to 2017

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2017 Rank & School 2017 Rank 2016 Rank 2015 Rank
Vassar College 1 3 6
Princeton University 2 1 3
Bowdoin College 3 NR NR
Vanderbilt University 4 12 20
Pomona College 5 4 1
Claremont McKenna College 6 5 8
Colgate University 7 17 NR
St. Olaf College 8 NR NR
Pitzer College 9 NR NR
Stanford University 10 7 15
Macalester College 11 NR NR
Columbia University 12 15 9
Reed College 13 13 14
University of Wisconsin – Madison 14 NR NR
Wellesley College 15 NR NR
Yale University 16 2 5
Trinity College (CT) 17 9 13
Haverford College 18 14 NR
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art 19 NR 18
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering 20 6 11
Thomas Aquinas College NR 8 12
University of Virginia NR 10 4
College of the Atlantic NR 11 19
Rice University NR 16 7
Amherst College NR 18 NR
University of Richmond NR 19 17
Middlebury College NR 20 NR
Swarthmore College NR NR 2
New College of Florida NR NR 10
City University of New York – Hunter College NR NR 16

Source: The Princeton Review

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