New England/NY LAC for middle-class, non-athlete son? [3.9 GPA]

In the financial aid section of a college’s description on College Navigator (feds’ website based on IPEDS data), it will indicate what percentage of students receive a Pell grant (or other federal grants) which might give you an idea of the kind of socioeconomic diversity a campus might have.

Of the schools already on your list to explore:

  • Clark: 19%
  • Muhlenberg: 21%
  • Ursinus: 18%
  • Wheaton: 20%

For some of the schools that have been mentioned, these are the Pell percentages. I bolded the ones that were at least 18% (the lowest from your list of Ursinus). I also added Brandeis & College of the Holy Cross to the list:

  • American: 10%
  • Bates: 9%
  • Brandeis: 14%
  • Brown: 14%
  • College of the Atlantic: 29%
  • College of the Holy Cross: 16%
  • Connecticut College: 15%
  • Dickinson: 12%
  • Fordham: 23%
  • Goucher: 27%
  • Hamilton: 22%
  • Skidmore: 12%
  • Sarah Lawrence: 10%
  • Susquehanna: 23%
  • Tufts: 12%
  • Vassar: 19%
  • Wesleyan: 13%
  • William & Mary: 12%
  • Williams: 14%

Looking at the percentages for any other schools you choose to explore might help give you a sense of how your son might feel about the financial dynamics with the student body.

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