Monday, July 6, 2009

Paying for College

Schools That Say They Meet Full Need

Posted September 5, 2008

One way that students can increase their chances of getting financial aid is to apply to schools that tend to be more generous. This is a list of schools that say they meet the full need of the students they admit.

But students should beware: The schools have varying definitions of " need. " Some of the schools provide enough grants to make up the difference between the family's federal " expected family contribution " and the school's cost of attendance. Others calculate their own (often higher) EFC and still leave a gap of several thousand dollars to be covered by student loans and part-time jobs.

In some cases, these gaps are larger than the $6,500 or so counselors say most freshmen can reasonably handle with federal Stafford loans and a combination of school-year part-time work and summer full-time jobs.

So while this list is a good start, students may find that other schools could end up leaving them with smaller tuition bills.

College Name State
Adrian College (MI)
Amherst College (MA)
Barnard College (NY)
Bates College (ME)
Beloit College (WI)
Boston College  
Bowdoin College (ME)
Brown University (RI)
Bryn Mawr College (PA)
California Institute of Technology  
Carleton College (MN)
Carroll College (WI)
Chapman University (CA)
Claremont McKenna College (CA)
Colby College (ME)
Colgate University (NY)
College of the Holy Cross (MA)
Columbia University (NY)
Connecticut College  
Cornell University (NY)
Dartmouth College (NH)
Davidson College (NC)
Duke University (NC)
Emory University (GA)
Franklin & Marshall  
Georgetown University (DC)
Gettysburg College (PA)
Grinnell College (IA)
Hamilton College (NY)
Harvard University (MA)
Harvey Mudd College (CA)
Haverford College (PA)
Lafayette College (PA)
Macalester College (MN)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology  
Middlebury College (VT)
Mount Holyoke College (MA)
Northwestern University (IL)
Oberlin College (OH)
Occidental College (CA)
Pitzer College (CA)
Pomona College (CA)
Princeton University (NJ)
Reed College (OR)
Rice University (TX)
Salem College (NC)
Scripps College (CA)
Smith College (MA)
St. Olaf College (MN)
Stanford University (CA)
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry  
Swarthmore College (PA)
Tufts University (MA)
University of Chicago  
University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill  
University of Pennsylvania  
University of Richmond (VA)
University of Virginia  
Vassar College (NY)
Wellesley College (MA)
Wesleyan University (CT)
Williams College (MA)
Yale University (CT)

Reader Comments

International Students

Does this 100% need apply also for international students? I mean, do these universities meet full need of internationals students too?

An Application for Admission.

FOPA DOUANLA WILLY CHRISTIAN

P.O.Box 1058 Mankon

North West Province

Bamenda 237 Cameroon

19/06/2009

The Office of admission

Gentle people,

This must be the greatest opportunity for me to be honoured as I express to you my profound gratitude for the good job that you undertake on the behalf the the US Government and the entire world community.

My name is Fopa Douanla Willy Christian, I am a young Cameroonian of age 19, and also a student in the Government Bilingual high school Bamenda .I would like to write my Advanced level inin Physics in your school . Sir, this mail to your institution is also to request the brochure for application or the student's manual if there is any. I downloaded and printed those I found in your website but my father never took them as real because when one of our relatives applied into Pomona College, he was sent a brochure like that so my father thinks that the brochure makes the thing more real. If there is none, please do send me at least the forms for admission and the list of all the documents that I will have to provide in other to have my admission complete.

I shall be extremely happy if this process could go very fast , such a way that I could obtain my F-1 type Visa as early as September in other to start shool there in October. I look forward to hearing from you soon , mostly as per your conveniant. Please, do accept my warmest regard and above all, I wish you God's protection.

Sincerely yours , Fopa Douanla Willy Christian

Middlebury College - VT

My understanding is they somehow slip into the mix, after the fact, that they expect all students themselves to "contribute" nearly $2,000 minimum annually towards the cost of their education. This is in addition to any EFC, even if EFC = $0 by any methodology. This is also in addition to any work study and/or loans. Not such a good deal when compared to other colleges that actually meet 100% of need, without loans and without the "oh, by the way" surprises. In all reality, it should not be included in this list.

It isn't that this is their policy, the problem is nowhere on their website or information brochures I've seen where this is stated. Unfortunately, seems like bait and switch and totally unnecessary considering all the other great things Middlebury has to offer. It's a great school, otherwise. Disappointing. :(

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