College Discussion - View Single Post - Best schools that give the most merit based aid

bclintonk · 07-21-2008, 04:18 PM

Here's a list, based on US News data, of colleges that give substantial (average > $10K/yr) merit aid to a large (>20%) fraction of the entering class:

SCHOOL/AVE MERIT AWARD /% RECEIVING MERIT AID

LACs:

Occidental $15,576 26%
Kenyon $12,212 23%
Ohio Wesleyan $12,872 42%
Willamette $10,115 31%
Denison $13,233 51%
Franklin & Marshall $14,084 25%
DePauw $12,158 49%
Grinnell $10,463 33%
Drew $11,584 32%
Rhodes $10,421 39%
Coll. of Wooster $13,017 43%
Agnes Scott $12,801 31%
Wofford $10,944 25%
Presbyterian Coll (SC) $11,143 34%
Randolph $14,696 34%
Furman $11,228 31%
Wittenberg $13,287 26%
Beloit $11,972 30%
Maryville Coll. $11,403 22%
Knox $10,314 30%
Allegheny $10,900 29%
Oglethorpe $11,362 28%
Juniata $12,609 26%
Goucher $13,682 31%
Cornell Coll. (IA) $11,345 23%
Sewanee-U. of the South $11,871 22%
Albion $11,824 38%
Wabash $12,030 25%
Centre Coll. $11,194 36%
Roanoke $10,537 23%
Randolph-Macon $13,057 39%
Hampden-Sydney $16,999 51%
Alma $13,726 21%
Susquehanna $14,681 29%
Hollins $10,825 28%
Millsaps $14,212 41%
Wartburg $14,172 23%
Hanover $15,588 34%
Moravian $13,068 21%
Transylvania $12,157 37%
Washington Coll. (MD) $10,310 40%
Hendrix $16,106 41%
Centenary (LA) $10,070 29%
Concordia-Moorhead (MN) $10,705 28%
Berry Coll. (GA) $14,526 41%
Sweet Briar $11,150 49%
Peace Coll. (NC) $11,594 28%
Gordon Coll. (MA) $12,705 29%
Wisconsin Lutheran $11,600 22%
Lyon Coll (AR) $11,549 28%
Wesleyan Coll. (GA) $$13,889 38%

Universities:

George Washington $20,155 23%
Pepperdine $15,601 26%
Case Western Reserve $12,657 31%
Tulane $19,423 32%
Rensselaer Polytechnic $15,000 24%
Brandeis $19,915 22%
U Miami (FL) $15,668 23%
SMU $11,453 34%
Clark U $14,131 25%
U Tulsa $11,346 36%
Stevens Inst of Tech $12,046 20%
Miami U (OH) $11,864 39%
Northeastern $12,975 23%

Some caveats:
1. Obviously these cut-offs are arbitrary. Some schools give generous merit aid to just under 20% of their students; others give slightly less than $10,000 to a large fraction of their students. Research these for yourself on the US News website.
2. Some of these schools do not meet 100% of financial need. In some cases this may mean they're electing to give merit aid to highly qualified but financially better off students at the expense of students with real financial need. In other cases they may simply be choosing among the students with demonstrated financial need by awarding a limited pool of financial aid money on a competitive "merit" basis.
3. Using an arbitrary $10,000 figure may provide a distorted picture of cost, given tuition differentials among schools. In particular, a nominally smaller award at a public institution may be more valuable than a nominally far more generous award at a private school. For example, the University of Minnesota-Morris, a very good public LAC, gives an average merit award of $3,120 to 20% of its students, but in-state tuition and fees (also available to Wisconsin residents) are only $5,003, leaving the average in-state merit aid recipient less than $2,000 short of the full cost of tuition and fees. In contrast, the average merit aid award at Grinnell, a private school, is $10,463, leaving the average merit award recipient almost $25,000 short of Grinnell's $35,428 in tuition and fees.

07-21-2008, 04:18 PM	#270
bclintonk Member Join Date: May 2008 Threads: 4 Posts: 645	Here's a list, based on US News data, of colleges that give substantial (average > $10K/yr) merit aid to a large (>20%) fraction of the entering class: SCHOOL/AVE MERIT AWARD /% RECEIVING MERIT AID LACs: Occidental $15,576 26% Kenyon $12,212 23% Ohio Wesleyan $12,872 42% Willamette $10,115 31% Denison $13,233 51% Franklin & Marshall $14,084 25% DePauw $12,158 49% Grinnell $10,463 33% Drew $11,584 32% Rhodes $10,421 39% Coll. of Wooster $13,017 43% Agnes Scott $12,801 31% Wofford $10,944 25% Presbyterian Coll (SC) $11,143 34% Randolph $14,696 34% Furman $11,228 31% Wittenberg $13,287 26% Beloit $11,972 30% Maryville Coll. $11,403 22% Knox $10,314 30% Allegheny $10,900 29% Oglethorpe $11,362 28% Juniata $12,609 26% Goucher $13,682 31% Cornell Coll. (IA) $11,345 23% Sewanee-U. of the South $11,871 22% Albion $11,824 38% Wabash $12,030 25% Centre Coll. $11,194 36% Roanoke $10,537 23% Randolph-Macon $13,057 39% Hampden-Sydney $16,999 51% Alma $13,726 21% Susquehanna $14,681 29% Hollins $10,825 28% Millsaps $14,212 41% Wartburg $14,172 23% Hanover $15,588 34% Moravian $13,068 21% Transylvania $12,157 37% Washington Coll. (MD) $10,310 40% Hendrix $16,106 41% Centenary (LA) $10,070 29% Concordia-Moorhead (MN) $10,705 28% Berry Coll. (GA) $14,526 41% Sweet Briar $11,150 49% Peace Coll. (NC) $11,594 28% Gordon Coll. (MA) $12,705 29% Wisconsin Lutheran $11,600 22% Lyon Coll (AR) $11,549 28% Wesleyan Coll. (GA) $$13,889 38% Universities: George Washington $20,155 23% Pepperdine $15,601 26% Case Western Reserve $12,657 31% Tulane $19,423 32% Rensselaer Polytechnic $15,000 24% Brandeis $19,915 22% U Miami (FL) $15,668 23% SMU $11,453 34% Clark U $14,131 25% U Tulsa $11,346 36% Stevens Inst of Tech $12,046 20% Miami U (OH) $11,864 39% Northeastern $12,975 23% Some caveats: 1. Obviously these cut-offs are arbitrary. Some schools give generous merit aid to just under 20% of their students; others give slightly less than $10,000 to a large fraction of their students. Research these for yourself on the US News website. 2. Some of these schools do not meet 100% of financial need. In some cases this may mean they're electing to give merit aid to highly qualified but financially better off students at the expense of students with real financial need. In other cases they may simply be choosing among the students with demonstrated financial need by awarding a limited pool of financial aid money on a competitive "merit" basis. 3. Using an arbitrary $10,000 figure may provide a distorted picture of cost, given tuition differentials among schools. In particular, a nominally smaller award at a public institution may be more valuable than a nominally far more generous award at a private school. For example, the University of Minnesota-Morris, a very good public LAC, gives an average merit award of $3,120 to 20% of its students, but in-state tuition and fees (also available to Wisconsin residents) are only $5,003, leaving the average in-state merit aid recipient less than $2,000 short of the full cost of tuition and fees. In contrast, the average merit aid award at Grinnell, a private school, is $10,463, leaving the average merit award recipient almost $25,000 short of Grinnell's $35,428 in tuition and fees.