<p>"The 51 colleges and universities on this list promise to meet a students demonstrated financial need with grants not loans." Michigan State? Can anyone here vouch for the state universities on this list meeting full need without loans?</p>
<p>51</a> Colleges With the Best Student Financial Aid - CBS MoneyWatch.com</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s accurate. I’m almost positive UNC and UF, and it looks like multiple others on the list, use loans.</p>
<p>The original link is not very good. This one explains the issues school by school instead of just giving a list. [Project</a> on Student Debt: Financial Aid Pledges](<a href=“http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php]Project”>http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php)
For example: Michigan State University
Spartan Advantage
For Pell-eligible Michigan residents with family incomes below the poverty level, the program covers tuition, room & board, and books & supplies with grant aid and work-study. Loans and/or additional work would be required in order to cover estimated transportation and personal expenses.
For Pell-eligible Michigan residents with family incomes below the poverty level. . . 2009-10 Estimated Student Budget
The college assures enough work-study and grant aid to cover these expenses<br>
Tuition & Fees $11,434
Books & Supplies $962
Room & Board $7,444</p>
<pre><code>Loans and/or additional work would be required in order to cover these costs
</code></pre>
<p>Transportation & Personal Expenses $1,708
Total Expenses: $21,548</p>
<p>I do not know the specifics of each and every college in the OP list, but two pieces of small print to be aware of:</p>
<ol>
<li>No student loans is different than no parent loans; and</li>
<li>EFC does not care how the payment was made.</li>
</ol>
<p>In short, still lots of room for lots of loans. Caveat Emptor</p>
<p>I believe UF meets full need without loans if you make under 40k a year and only for in-state students.</p>
<p>Work-study reqs make me uneasy. First, for those students who find they are sacrificing academic performance or opportunities in order to work, the trade-off is a poor one. Second, performing a job that the college would, absent the subsidy program, be paying a higher wage to have done, is a case of money shifting that the student ends up paying either way.</p>
<p>I’m sure some examples of great work-study exist, but I’d be careful.</p>
<p>I was really close to that 40k line with UF, but I was just a tad over.
Even though we have two undergraduates in our family, that doesn’t matter either apparently.</p>
<p>I got 6300 in Loans from UF. Fafsa EFC = 1271
They met like 99% of my need though.</p>
<p>Oh well, probably not going there anyway.</p>
<p>The problem is how much need to they meet for the vast majority of americans who are middle class…income above 60k and into 100k range. The rich dont need the help and they often get the lion’s share of scholarships because their kids went to prep schools that teach for the SAT and they get prepped on the SAT huge! Scholarships are based on the SAT score. So the middle class gets hammered, the Pell Grant families often get lots of help, though I wouldnt want to change places with them as its nearly impossible to raise a family on less than 60k a year.</p>
<p>Last I heard, students are allowed to prep for the SAT at home, and parents may participate. There are even rumors that a grey market of testing materials exists over on Ebay, for pennies a pop. While it is true that a 2010 prep book is different than a 2009, 2008, or 2007 book, the book cover is usually not that helpful.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with work-study. Only the extremely pampered can’t hold a part time job and attend college simultaneously.</p>
<p>This list is puzzling - wonder why USNA and USMA are on it and USAFA and USCGA are not?</p>
<p>Just because one of these colleges claims to meet your <em>need</em> this doesn’t mean it’s the cheapest college for you. In many cases your <em>need</em> does not reflect reality and if your FAFSA EFC is much lower then you can do much better elsewhere.
Many very bright students who are able to gain acceptance to these fine colleges also find they are awarded hefty merit scholarships at other fine schools. This can make for a more inexpensive college education - especially for those who don’t have much <em>need</em>.</p>
<p>Since when does Emory University do NO LOANS. Ha Ha Ha. Not the case!</p>
<p>
I suspect your comment speaks more to the rigor of your personal college experience that anything else.</p>
<p>Working while in school is the best thing students can do. They end up with loads of work experience if done right when they graduate. Let’s include summers and during the school year.</p>
<p>The list is long. Several of those schools are not “no loan.”</p>
<p>
Au contraire. Perhaps your initial comment and retort is an attempt to justify your own superiority?</p>
<p>There is no reason to sacrifice academics in college while working 10-15 hours a week. I challenge you to show me a college student that can’t sacrifice that small amount of time.
Second - many work study jobs are in the students major department. Some are actually quite meaningful and allow a student to better understand their major, get to know their professors better and even participate in academic research. It’s not all bad.
There are many other advantages to working while in college - need I go on?</p>
<p>Wm&Mary has definitely has loans for in-state and out-of-state. Starting next year cross Williams and Dartmouth off the no-loan list.</p>
<p>In the current economic environment any list of “no-loan”, “100% need met”, and “best fin aid” can become out of date quickly.</p>
<p>Since the threshold is <em>after EFC is met</em>, this list is pretty meaningless to a lot of people I know, since EFC as a measure of what a family can truly afford is often a cruel joke.</p>
<p>Best … sometimes best for one is not best for another. For example, both Vandy & Tufts are on the list. Vandy offered a far better aid package for us than Tufts. Tufts’ package included too much in loans. </p>
<p>Emory is great for income under $100k. MSU is great for the very lowest incomes, as is UM - but for in state only. </p>
<p>For every student who is happy with his package, there is one who is not. ;)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Lol right on.</p>
<p>I agree with everything JustAMom said. Doing work study for 10-15 hours a week is not going to hurt any student. In fact it will help him learn the value of a dollar, give him some spending money, and help him make contacts on campus. The jobs pay the same whether it’s work study or independent so I don’t know where you’re saying it’s slave labor. As a bonus, any earnings through the program are not counted in on FASFA.</p>