USNWR rankings for Merit Aid:

nocousin · August 22, 2008, 12:36pm

Best Colleges: Most students receiving merit aid

Cooper Union New York, NY Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
100 % 
Anderson University Anderson, SC Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
95 % 
Sierra Nevada College Incline Village, NV Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
93 % 
University of Mobile Mobile, AL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
73 % 
Avila University Kansas City, MO Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
63 % 
Dillard University New Orleans, LA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
56 % 
New College of Florida Sarasota, FL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
54 % 
University of Florida Gainesville, FL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
52 % 
Denison University Granville, OH Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
51 % 
Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, VA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
50 % 
Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, AR Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
50 % 
Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
49 % 
University of Nevada--Reno Reno, NV Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
48 % 
Trinity University San Antonio, TX Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
47 % 
DePauw University Greencastle, IN Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
46 % 
University of Michigan--Dearborn Dearborn, MI Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
45 % 
Longy School of Music Cambridge, MA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
45 % 
Louisiana College Pineville, LA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
45 % 
Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
45 % 
Westminster College Fulton, MO Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
43 % 
St. Joseph's University Philadelphia, PA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
43 % 
Birmingham-Southern College Birmingham, AL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
43 % 
Rhodes College Memphis, TN Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
43 % 
University of Colorado--Boulder Boulder, CO Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
43 % 
Shorter College Rome, GA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
43 % 
Hendrix College Conway, AR Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
42 % 
Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
42 % 
Berry College Mount Berry, GA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
41 % 
College of Wooster Wooster, OH Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
41 % 
University of Dayton Dayton, OH Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
Columbus State University Columbus, GA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
Millsaps College Jackson, MS Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
Dowling College Oakdale Long Island, NY Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, VA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
Fontbonne University St. Louis, MO Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
Westminster College Salt Lake City, UT Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
40 % 
New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
39 % 
Mayville State University Mayville, ND Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
39 % 
Catholic University of America Washington, DC Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
39 % 
St. John's University Collegeville, MN Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
39 % 
Austin College Sherman, TX Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
38 % 
University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
38 % 
Gonzaga University Spokane, WA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
38 % 
Dean College Franklin, MA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
38 % 
Centre College Danville, KY Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
38 % 
Wesleyan College Macon, GA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
38 % 
Wagner College Staten Island, NY Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
37 % 
University of the Ozarks Clarksville, AR Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
37 % 
Florida International University Miami, FL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
37 % 
Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
37 % 
Mississippi College Clinton, MS Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
37 % 
Eckerd College St. Petersburg, FL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
36 % 
Huntingdon College Montgomery, AL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
36 % 
Albion College Albion, MI Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
36 % 
University of Portland Portland, OR Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
36 % 
Stetson University Deland, FL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
36 % 
Washington College Chestertown, MD Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
36 % 
Lynchburg College Lynchburg, VA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Transylvania University Lexington, KY Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Truman State University Kirksville, MO Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Roanoke College Salem, VA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Drew University Madison, NJ Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
College of Idaho Caldwell, ID Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
University of South Carolina--Columbia Columbia, SC Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Dickinson State University Dickinson, ND Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
35 % 
Carroll College Helena, MT Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
34 % 
Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
34 % 
Murray State University Murray, KY Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
34 % 
La Sierra University Riverside, CA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
34 % 
St. Andrews Presbyterian College Laurinburg, NC Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
34 % 
Drake University Des Moines, IA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
34 % 
Langston University Langston, OK Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Baylor University Waco, TX Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
College of St. Benedict St. Joseph, MN Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Carroll College Waukesha, WI Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Tulane University New Orleans, LA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Randolph College Lynchburg, VA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
University of Rochester Rochester, NY Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Guilford College Greensboro, NC Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Mercer University Macon, GA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Missouri State University Springfield, MO Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Jarvis Christian College Hawkins, TX Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Benedictine College Atchison, KS Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Jamestown College Jamestown, ND Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, MD Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
33 % 
Wingate University Wingate, NC Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
32 % 
Missouri Valley College Marshall, MO Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
32 % 
Southwestern University Georgetown, TX Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
32 % 
Graceland University Lamoni, IA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
32 % 
Earlham College Richmond, IN Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
32 % 
Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
32 % 
Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Percent of students receiving non-need based aid
32 %

Whistle_Pig · August 24, 2008, 5:11pm

For families with strong students and not poverty stricken resources, this is a powerful tool. We found this to be …dare I say it? … on the $$. Paid huge dividends at a great school.

noobcake · August 24, 2008, 6:20pm

Bunch of no name schools.

Go for merit aid at BU, Pitts, etc for merit aid and a REPUTABLE school.

SaveOnUndergrad · August 24, 2008, 6:35pm

If 100% receive merit aid, doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose? Isn’t the actual price just lower than the listed one?

highopes · August 24, 2008, 6:37pm

If I’m not mistaken, Cooper Union is special in that regard. It’s a highly selective engineering school in NYC. There is no tuition, and they can get away with that because only ~200 students enroll each year.

ken285 · August 24, 2008, 6:39pm

Olin should be on the top there next to The Cooper Union. I wonder why it’s not listed.

There’s also an equally selective art school and architecture school.

Whistle_Pig · August 24, 2008, 6:57pm

Yea, they’ve missed Olin. Is it accredited yet? It takes a few years.

Indeed many of these schools are “no name” but not all. And of course it’s that type of snobbery that allows many of the so-called name schools to get away with providing little or no aid. They know the adage of a fool being born every minute is on the money, only in their marketplace, they know there are plenty of fools hoping to validate their self-worth and presumed intelligence by paying through their …

ken285 · August 24, 2008, 7:21pm

Yes, Olin is accredited by both NEASC and ABET. I remember seeing Olin listed on the engineering specialty schools list with master’s as the highest degree, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be listed here.

chrisd · August 24, 2008, 7:47pm

Olin is fully accredited. They only offer undergrad degrees, no master’s. I don’t know why they’re not listed here. . . does Cooper Union also cover living expenses? Olin kids pay about $17,000 for room/board, but there is need based aid to assist students who can’t afford that.

swimguy112 · August 24, 2008, 7:51pm

"Bunch of no name schools.

Go for merit aid at BU, Pitts, etc for merit aid and a REPUTABLE school."

Oh give me a break. Undergraduate education is becoming more and more obsolete as time goes on. It is much more important to go to a reputable graduate school, and anyone who says otherwise is just sore that they are paying $200,000 for a bachelor’s degree.

ken285 · August 24, 2008, 8:04pm

The Cooper Union doesn’t cover living expenses, but I’m pretty sure there is need based aid for room/board. Living expenses vary a lot because students find apartments on their own after freshman year.

MADad · August 24, 2008, 9:27pm

University of Rochester was # 35 on the list of “national universities”.

Not exactly a ‘no-name’ school.

SaveOnUndergrad · August 24, 2008, 9:45pm

If Cooper Union pays for tuition, then the tuition price should be listed as 0, not as $34,600 that I see in College Board. That number is completely worthless.

ken285 · August 24, 2008, 10:32pm

I don’t know the real reason for this, but PR/marketing-wise, it makes more sense to list a tuition with a full scholarship instead of $0 tuition. It DOES cost money to run the college, and donations are a major reason why the school can remain tuition free. It’s easier to convince someone to give if you’re telling them you’re actually giving students a $140k scholarship.

If you’re a prospective applicant, it also sounds better to receive a full-tuition scholarship rather than pay no tuition.

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USNWR rankings for Merit Aid:

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