Colleges that Meet Full Need

The following colleges have a stated commitment to providing all admitted US citizens and US permanent residents with a financial aid package that covers 100% of their calculated financial need. 

In general, schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need strive to be affordable financial options for the students they admit by providing need-based financial aid that is directly tied to each student and family’s resources.

How Colleges Calculate Your Financial Need

Demonstrated financial need is the difference between the cost of attendance and the amount your family is expected to contribute. It’s determined based on information a student submits in a college’s required financial aid application materials, which typically include the FAFSA (which yields your Student Aid Index, or “SAI”) and one or more supplemental documents. Some colleges require the CSS Profile to learn about the student’s financial situation, while others have their own unique financial aid application. These financial aid documents may consider your family’s earnings, assets, household size, and other factors.

If you are admitted to a college that meets 100% of your demonstrated need, the college will consider your SAI and submitted financial aid forms to determine your eligibility for need-based aid and, ultimately, your financial aid package. Generally, the lower your SAI (it can be as low as -1500), the more need-based aid you can expect to receive. At colleges that meet 100% of need, your financial aid package will cover the entirety of your demonstrated need.

Financial Aid Packages Can Include Different Types of Financial Assistance

Financial aid packages may be composed of grants and scholarship funding (money you do not need to repay), student loans (money you do need to repay), and student employment funding. Some institutions do not include student loans as an expectation in their financial aid package, meeting 100% of demonstrated need with only grant and scholarship funding (also referred to as “gift aid”).

Additional Ways Colleges Meet Full Need

For students accepted at one of the colleges that don’t meet 100% of demonstrated need for every admitted student, there may be other options to cover their full need. Some public colleges and universities commit to only meeting the financial need for in-state residents, while other institutions have financial aid programs specifically for students in their local community. Additionally, Appily has resources to help you explore outside scholarships, such as this list of some of the nation’s most generous scholarships, and is home to the nation’s largest, multi-billion dollar scholarship database.