Which Colleges Give the Most Scholarship Money?

As you approach the end of high school and begin preparing for the next step in your life, it’s important to know which colleges give the most scholarship money so you can properly assess which universities are realistic options based on your finances.

Remember, the cost of tuition is only one part of the puzzle, and many “expensive” schools offer a variety of college grants, merit based scholarships, and other forms of student aid to help make paying for college more affordable.

Which colleges have a high percentage of students who receive merit based scholarships or college grants?

According to US News and Rankings, 98% of students at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa receive non-need based financial aid, by far the most in its rankings. Murray State University (77%), Cooper Union (68%), Golden Gate University (67%) and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (66%) rounded out the top five.

If you can get into an Ivy, you’ll probably receive scholarship money.

Ivy League Universities have notoriously high tuitions; however, these schools provide ample opportunity to those who do not have the means necessary to pay for college. Six of the top 10 colleges in US News and Rankings list of the “best value colleges” were Ivy League Universities. At Harvard University, 61.4% of the student body received need-based grants, with an average tuition discount of 73%!

International students should look to the Northeast.

Yale University, Wesleyan University, and Skidmore college all gave an average of over $50,000 in scholarship money to international undergraduates—and all three are located in the Northeast (Connecticut, Connecticut, and New York, respectively). Out of the ten most generous universities towards international students, The University of Chicago and Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania were located outside of New England.

Each student’s case is unique.

If a college you are looking at doesn’t rank as one of the better schools in terms of financial aid, don’t think that you have no chance of receiving scholarship money. Talk to counselors and admissions officers about the opportunities that are available, and find out the prerequisites for each. At the end of the day, it’s more important to know how you stack up against specific scholarships—a large number of scholarships opportunities are only beneficial if you meet the requirements.