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
.tftable {font-size:12px;color:#333333;width:100%;border-width: 1px;border-color: #729ea5;border-collapse: collapse;}
.tftable th {font-size:12px;background-color:#acc8cc;border-width: 1px;padding: 8px;border-style: solid;border-color: #729ea5;text-align:left;}
.tftable tr {background-color:#d4e3e5;}
.tftable td {font-size:12px;border-width: 1px;padding: 8px;border-style: solid;border-color: #729ea5;}
.tftable tr:hover {background-color:#ffffff;}
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
DON’T MISS WHICH COLLEGES HAVE THE HAPPIEST STUDENTS? and SCHOOLS WITH THE MOST LIBERAL STUDENTS