<p>A few schools (perhaps, most of which you are already familiar with):</p>
<p>Colburn: The best automatic full ride conservatory: not only is tuition free for all admitted students, but students get a free apartment and living allowance. Only one violin teacher: Lipsett.</p>
<p>Curtis: Free tuition for all admitted and some scholarship available to help cover living expenses for some students.</p>
<p>Juilliard: Opinions vary on the generosity of the financial aid. For a family that is not well-off, there is a good chance of substantial financial aid. [My very limited experience has been that Juilliard is generous, but I think for families in the US that consider themselves middle-class by NYC standards [upper class by standards in most of the rest of the world], the aid is more limited than they might expect or like.</p>
<p>Oberlin: Has a reputation for generous financial aid. </p>
<p>Rice: Has an outstanding music program (better than its relative fame would suggest) and meets full financial need of US applicants (not so for international applicants).</p>
<p>Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University: Gives full tuition to all admitted. If there is financial need and great talent, they may give more than full tuition. The program is small (deliberately kept that way) and relatively new. It is not well-known and its location is a detractor for some (small southern city an hour from Atlanta), but there is excellent teaching and good string students.</p>
<p>One can get near full tuition at many top schools if one is exceptional–even at schools which are notoriously stingy towards most of their applicants. As well, many less than top schools will give full tuition or full ride.</p>