Selective Colleges that Meet 100% of Financial Need

List by College Confidential

Photo: Vlada Karpovich/Pexels

If you are interested in applying to a selective college and are worried about the possibility of a high tuition price, there is no need to worry. Many selective schools provide financial help to ensure students can realistically cover the cost of tuition. Schools that meet 100% need have financial aid options to offset the full price of tuition. This means that the school will offer aid to fill in the difference between a student’s Expected Family Contribution, which is determined by a variety of factors including income, and the school’s cost of attendance. ​ Colleges can meet full financial need by offering grants, loans, and job opportunities. Here is a list of selective schools that meet 100% of financial need.

Lafayette College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Lafayette College is around $35,000 a year. In the most recent year 816 of the 2,514 undergrads enrolled at Lafayette received financial aid.

Lafayette College

Easton, PA

In-State

$56,364

Out-of-State

$56,364

Acceptance Rate 36% Calculate My Chances

Kenyon College

At Kenyon College, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $43,914 a year. In 2021, 776 of the 1,617 undergrads enrolled at Kenyon received financial aid.

Kenyon College

Gambier, OH 

In-State

$63,310

Out-of-State

$63,310

Acceptance Rate 37% Calculate My Chances

Middlebury College

The average financial aid package for a student at Middlebury College is around $55,069 a year. At Middlebury, over half of enrolled undergrads use financial aid to help pay for school.

Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT 

In-State

$57,880

Out-of-State

$57,880

Acceptance Rate 22% Calculate My Chances

Washington and Lee University

At Washington and Lee, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $59,667 a year. In 2021, 825 of the 1,822 undergrads received financial aid.

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, VA

In-State

$59,380

Out-of-State

$59,380

Acceptance Rate 25% Calculate My Chances

Oberlin College

At Oberlin College the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $47,452 a year. In the most recent academic year, 1,405 of the 2,647 undergrads enrolled at Oberlin received financial aid.

Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH 

In-State

$58,554

Out-of-State

$58,554

Acceptance Rate 35%  Calculate My Chances

Colgate University

The average financial aid package for a student at Colgate University is around $62,415 a year. In 2021, 975 of the 3,042 undergrads at Colgate University received financial aid.

Colgate University

Hamilton, NY 

In-State

$60,015

Out-of-State

$60,015

Acceptance Rate 27% Calculate My Chances

Hamilton College

The average financial aid package for a student at Hamilton College is around $53,018 a year. In 2021, 1,000 of the 1,900 undergrads enrolled at Hamilton College received financial aid.

Hamilton College

Clinton, NY 

In-State

$59,970

Out-of-State

$59,970

Acceptance Rate 18%  Calculate My Chances

Carleton College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $54,854 a year at Carleton College. In 2021, 1,158 of the 1,940 undergrads enrolled at Carleton College used financial aid to finance their education.

Carleton College

Northfield, MN 

In-State

$60,225

Out-of-State

$60,225

Acceptance Rate 21% Calculate My Chances

Mount Holyoke College

At Mount Holyoke College, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $42,815 a year. In 2021, 1,315 of the 1,915 undergrads at Mount Holyoke received financial aid.

Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, MA 

In-State

$56,518

Out-of-State

$56,518

Acceptance Rate52% Calculate My Chances

Smith College

The average financial aid package for a student at Smith University is around $40,765 a year. In 2021, well over half of the undergraduate students at Smith used financial aid to to cover the cost of tuition.

Smith College

Northampton, MA 

In-State

$56,114

Out-of-State

$56,114

Acceptance Rate 37% Calculate My Chances

Williams College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Williams College is around $51,972 a year. In the most recent academic year, 1,032 of 1,962 undergrads enrolled at Williams received financial aid.

Williams College

Williamstown, MA 

In-State

$59,660

Out-of-State

$59,660

Acceptance Rate 15% Calculate My Chances

Grinnell College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Grinnell College is around $49,436 a year. Over half of the undergrad students at Grinnell College use financial aid to to cover the cost of tuition.

Grinnell College

Grinnell, IA

In-State

$56,680

Out-of-State

$56,680

Acceptance Rate 19% Calculate My Chances

Connecticut College

At Connecticut College the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $46,902 a year. In 2021, 927 of the 1,737 undergrads enrolled at Connecticut College received financial aid.

Connecticut College

New London, CT

In-State

$59,025

Out-of-State

$59,025

Acceptance Rate 38% Calculate My Chances

University of Virginia

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at The University of Virginia is around $29,925 a year. In 2021, 5,827 of the 17,311 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA

In-State

$19,698

Out-of-State

$53,666

Acceptance Rate 23% Calculate My Chances

University of Richmond

At The University of Richmond the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $53,629 a year. In the most recent academic year, over half of Richmond undergrads used financial aid to to cover the cost of tuition.

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, VA 

In-State

$56,860

Out-of-State

$56,860

Acceptance Rate 31% Calculate My Chances

Haverford College

The average financial aid package for a student at Haverford College is around $55,852 a year. In 2021, 589 of the 1,307 undergrads enrolled at Haverford received financial aid.

Haverford College

Haverford, PA 

In-State

$60,940

Out-of-State

$60,940

Acceptance Rate18%  Calculate My Chances

Bryn Mawr College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $52,557 a year.

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr, PA 

In-State

$56,320

Out-of-State

$56,320

Acceptance Rate 38% Calculate My Chances

Franklin & Marshall College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Franklin & Marshall College is around $58,315 a year. Most recently, 1,286 of the 2,254 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

Franklin & Marshall College

Lancaster, PA

In-State

$63,416

Out-of-State

$63,416

Acceptance Rate 37% Calculate My Chances

Denison University

At Denison University, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $47,449 a year. In the most recent academic year 1,131 of the 2,258 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

Denison University

Granville, OH 

In-State

$57,500

Out-of-State

$57,500

Acceptance Rate 28% Calculate My Chances

Vassar College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Vassar is around $55,995 a year. Just over half of Vassar undergrads use financial aid to to cover the cost of tuition.

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY 

In-State

$62,870

Out-of-State

$62,870

Acceptance Rate 25% Calculate My Chances

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

At UNC Chapel Hill, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $17,600 a year. In 2021, 8,369 of the 19,399 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

In-State

$8,992

Out-of-State

$36,776

Acceptance Rate24% Calculate My Chances

Wake Forest University

The average financial aid package for a Wake Forest student is around $58,372 a year. In 2021, 1,467 of the 5,441 undergrads enrolled at Woke Forest received financial aid.

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC 

In-State

$59,770

Out-of-State

$59,770

Acceptance Rate32% Calculate My Chances

Tufts University

At Tufts, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $50,302 a year. In 2021, 2,200 of the 6,114 undergrads enrolled at Tufts received financial aid.

Tufts University

Medford, MA 

In-State

$60,862

Out-of-State

$60,862

Acceptance Rate 16% Calculate My Chances

Wellesley College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year students at Wellesley is around $59,632 a year. In the most recent academic year over half of enrolled undergrads at Wellesley received financial aid.

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA 

In-State

$60,752

Out-of-State

$60,752

Acceptance Rate 20% Calculate My Chances

Boston College

At Boston College the average financial aid package is around $46,417 a year. In 2021, 3,955 of the 9,445 undergrads enrolled at Boston College received financial aid.

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

In-State

$61,830

Out-of-State

$61,830

Acceptance Rate26% Calculate My Chances

College of the Holy Cross

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Holy Cross is around $44,288 a year. In 2021, over half of undergraduate students at Holy Cross received financial aid.

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA 

In-State

$56,540

Out-of-State

$56,540

Acceptance Rate 38% Calculate My Chances

University of Notre Dame

At Notre Dame, the average financial aid package is around $55,639 a year. Around half of undergrads at Notre Dame use financial aid to finance their education.

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN 

In-State

$57,699

Out-of-State

$57,699

Acceptance Rate 19% Calculate My Chances

Wesleyan University

The average financial aid package for full-time, first-year students at Wesleyan is around $63,036 a year. In 2021 nearly half of Wesleyan undergrads received financial aid.

Wesleyan University

Middletown, CT 

In-State

$59,386

Out-of-State

$59,386

Acceptance Rate 21% Calculate My Chances

Harvey Mudd College

At Harvey Mudd, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $51,118 a year. Most recently, 442 of the 854 Harvey Mudd undergrads received financial aid.

Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, CA 

In-State

$58,630

Out-of-State

$58,630

Acceptance Rate 18% Calculate My Chances

Reed College

For first-year students at Reed College, the average financial aid package is around $48,044 a year. Over half of undergrad students at the college received financial aid in the most recent academic year.

Reed College

Portland, OR 

In-State

$62,730

Out-of-State

$62,730

Acceptance Rate 35% Calculate My Chances

Union College

At Union College, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $48,910 a year. In the most recent year, over half of undergraduate students at Union College received financial aid.

Union College

Schenectady, NY

In-State

$61,659

Out-of-State

$61,659

Acceptance Rate 41% Calculate My Chances

Washington University in St. Louis

At Washington University in St. Louis, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $55,624 a year. In the most recent year, 2,951 of the 7,653 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

Washington University in St. Louis

St. Louis, MO 

In-State

$58,864

Out-of-State

$58,864

Acceptance Rate 16% Calculate My Chances

Georgetown University

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Georgetown is around $42,920 a year. In 2021, 2,456 of the 7,357 Georgetown undergraduate students received financial aid.

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

In-State

$57,556

Out-of-State

$57,556

Acceptance Rate 17% Calculate My Chances

Trinity College

The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $50,612 a year at Trinity College. In the most recent year, over half of enrolled undergrads at Trinity received financial aid.

Trinity College

Hartford, CT

In-State

$61,370

Out-of-State

$61,370

Acceptance Rate 36% Calculate My Chances

Occidental College

At Occidental College, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $52,300 a year. In 2021, 1,158 of 1,839 Occidental undergrads received financial aid.

Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA

In-State

$56,576

Out-of-State

$56,576

Acceptance Rate 41% Calculate My Chances