High performing Pell institutions

Paying for College Financial Aid (Need-Based, Merit Aid, Loans)
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I am happy to see a number from my state (including my alma mater).

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Interesting study.

It was nice to see my son’s university, University of Dayton, on the list. Speaking as a former Pell Grant student and the parent of a Pell Grant student, Dayton definitely created an atmosphere that invites all students and helps all students succeed.

I have quibbles about the study, starting with the title of “High Performing Pell Institutions” which implies all schools not on the list are lacking. Also, the outcomes includes lapses that suggest the criteria might benefit from tweaking. But given the transparency in what the study took into account, I’ll take it as delivered.

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Seems like the paper with criteria and list of schools is at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23328584261483676

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How Congress Can Strengthen the Pell Grant Program to Make College More Affordable for Millions of Americans

Notably, 80 percent of Black students, 73 percent of Hispanic or Latino students, 72 percent of American Indian or Alaska Native students, and 54 percent of Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander students receive a Pell Grant during their time in school. About 33-35 percent of White & Asian students receive one.

Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility for 2026-2027

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This is the list of institutions…

Inventory of HPP Institutions in Alphabetical Order, Including State and Control.

Institution State Control Institution State Control Institution State Control
Adelphi University NY Private NFP Hobart William Smith Colleges NY Private NFP The University of Texas at Austin TX Public
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences NY Private NFP Illinois Institute of Technology IL Private NFP Trine University IN Private NFP
Albion College MI Private NFP Immaculata University PA Private NFP Trinity University TX Private NFP
Amherst College MA Private NFP Kettering University MI Private NFP Tufts University MA Private NFP
Auburn University AL Public Lehigh University PA Private NFP Union College NY Private NFP
Babson College MA Private NFP Linfield University OR Private NFP United States Merchant Marine Academy NY Public
Baker University KS Private NFP Loyola Marymount University CA Private NFP University of California-Berkeley CA Public
Ball State University IN Public Loyola University Chicago IL Private NFP University of California-Davis CA Public
Bates College ME Private NFP Loyola University Maryland MD Private NFP University of California-Los Angeles CA Public
Baylor University TX Private NFP Marquette University WI Private NFP University of California-Merced CA Public
Boston University MA Private NFP Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA Private NFP University of California-Santa Barbara CA Public
Bowdoin College ME Private NFP Massachusetts Maritime Academy MA Public University of Central Florida FL Public
Brandeis University MA Private NFP Mercer University GA Private NFP University of Chicago IL Private NFP
Bryan College of Health Sciences NE Private NFP Michigan Technological University MI Public University of Dayton OH Private NFP
Bryn Mawr College PA Private NFP Milwaukee School of Engineering WI Private NFP University of Detroit Mercy MI Private NFP
California Institute of Technology CA Private NFP Montana Technological University MT Public University of Georgia GA Public
California Lutheran University CA Private NFP Mount Carmel College of Nursing OH Private NFP University of Houston TX Public
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA Public Mount Saint Mary College NY Private NFP University of Maryland-College Park MD Public
California State University-Fresno CA Public New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ Public University of Miami FL Private NFP
California State University-San Bernardino CA Public New York University NY Private NFP University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI Public
California State University-Stanislaus CA Public North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC Public University of Missouri-Columbia MO Public
California State University Maritime Academy CA Public Northeastern University MA Private NFP University of Mount Saint Vincent NY Private NFP
Carnegie Mellon University PA Private NFP Nova Southeastern University FL Private NFP University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC Public
Case Western Reserve University OH Private NFP Ohio Northern University OH Private NFP University of Notre Dame IN Private NFP
Central Michigan University MI Public Pepperdine University CA Private NFP University of Rhode Island RI Public
Chamberlain University-Ohio OH Private FP Pomona College CA Private NFP University of Richmond VA Private NFP
Christian Brothers University TN Private NFP Princeton University NJ Private NFP University of Saint Mary KS Private NFP
Clemson University SC Public Purdue University-Main Campus IN Public University of South Carolina-Columbia SC Public
Colby College ME Private NFP Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NY Private NFP University of South Florida FL Public
Colgate University NY Private NFP Rhodes College TN Private NFP University of Southern California CA Private NFP
Colorado School of Mines CO Public Rice University TX Private NFP University of St Thomas MN Private NFP
Cornell University NY Private NFP Rochester Institute of Technology NY Private NFP University of St Thomas TX Private NFP
Cox College MO Private NFP Rutgers University-Camden NJ Public University of Tulsa OK Private NFP
Davidson College NC Private NFP Sacred Heart University CT Private NFP University of Wisconsin-Madison WI Public
DePauw University IN Private NFP Saint Anselm College NH Private NFP Virginia Military Institute VA Public
DigiPen Institute of Technology WA Private FP Saint Joseph’s College of Maine ME Private NFP Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA Public
Drexel University PA Private NFP Saint Mary’s College IN Private NFP Washington and Lee University VA Private NFP
Duquesne University PA Private NFP Saint Mary’s College of California CA Private NFP Wellesley College MA Private NFP
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach FL Private NFP Santa Clara University CA Private NFP West Coast University-Los Angeles CA Private FP
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University FL Public Scripps College CA Private NFP Westminster University UT Private NFP
Florida Atlantic University FL Public Seattle University WA Private NFP Widener University PA Private NFP
Florida International University FL Public Seton Hall University NJ Private NFP Wilkes University PA Private NFP
Florida State University FL Public Southern Methodist University TX Private NFP William Jewell College MO Private NFP
Fordham University NY Private NFP Stanford University CA Private NFP Williams College MA Private NFP
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering MA Private NFP Stevens Institute of Technology NJ Private NFP Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA Private NFP
George Mason University VA Public Stony Brook University NY Public
George Washington University DC Private NFP SUNY Oneonta NY Public
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA Public SUNY Polytechnic Institute NY Public
Gettysburg College PA Private NFP Swarthmore College PA Private NFP
Gonzaga University WA Private NFP Texas Christian University TX Private NFP
Harvard University MA Private NFP The Catholic University of America DC Private NFP
Haverford College PA Private NFP The College of New Jersey
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However, from the paper, “Table 3 shows that, as the number of Pell Grant recipients enrolled on a campus increases, the likelihood of achieving HPP status significantly decreases. Specifically, if the Pell Ratio increased by one unit—from 1.0, where just as many Pell students as expected (based on the economic characteristics of the states that students originate from) were enrolled, to 2.0, where twice as many Pell students as expected enrolled—the likelihood of being an HPP falls by 15.0 percentage points.”

I.e. the implication of the above is that a college can serve Pell Grant students well, or serve more Pell Grant students, but it is hard to do both.

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@maijem11 that’s an informative link. Eye-opening was this quote

in 1975-76, the maximum Pell Grant covered 79% of the average cost of tuition and fees plus room and board at a four-year public college. The 2025-2026 maximum award amount covers just 29% of those costs

Pell Grant amounts definitely need to increase if the program is to be as far-reaching as it was originally intended to be. Even with the Pell Grant, many current students in states that don’t provide substantial state-provided need-aid are unable to afford college. Or students enroll, intending to work throughout their college experience, and end up dropping out because working enough to afford school leaves not enough time for studying

I’d love to see this study broken down to show results for students who qualify for 100% of the Pell Grant, 50%, and 5%. Each of those income levels could indicate quite different family living situations. More granularity would be insightful.

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I worked at a university with a very high percentage of Pell students. We had a number of programs designed to help students who struggled in college, which many Pell students do, for a variety of reasons. That is, of course, very expensive - so only some students benefited from these programs. In the years since I left that school, funding has been decimated. It is true in practice that the more Pell students, the more difficult it may be to meet their needs.

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Which leads to two of of my quibbles with this study.

  1. The results strongly imply HBCUs are not “High Performing” Pell Institutions, but history tells us this is absolutely not true. The study’s title should be changed to more properly indicate what the study measures.

  2. The criteria itself. I understand and agree with the importance of measuring what this study measured. It matters! However, it is a very incomplete picture of everything that matters to Pell Grant parents & students considering which university the student should attend. After all, once a study self identifies as providing results of institutions that are “high performing” in something, the researchers should make sure they deliver results that truly identify institutions that deliver the biggest bang. That this study has fault lines that indicate schools who admit more Pell Grant students are not “high performing”, concerns me.

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Long form ideating removed :rofl:

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Average Pell Grant and 2026 Maximum Amount (1/7/2026)

How Pell Grant Distribution Varies by University (6/17/2026)