Colleges that Give Most Financial Aid?

Having a bit of financial stress recently and it got me wondering, are there specific colleges out there that are known to give out a huge amount of financial aid? Like, is there a clear winner or is it more of a case-by-case thing? Would really appreciate any info.

Some colleges are especially generous as it relates to financial aid. Here are few:

1. Ivy league institutions, including Harvard, Yale and Princeton, are known for offering substantial financial aid packages. For example, at Harvard, families earning less than $85,000 per year won't have to contribute towards the cost of attendance. Families earning between $85,000 to $150,000 annually will pay between 0% to 10% of their income.

2. Stanford University, like many Ivy League schools, offers financial assistance to both domestic and international students. At Stanford, parents with income below $150,000 don't have to pay tuition, and those earning below $100,000 are not expected to contribute towards room and board as well.

3. Amherst College is a well-regarded liberal arts college known for meeting 100% of financial need for all admitted students. It has a no-loan policy, which means all aid is in the form of grants and work-study.

4. Another well-regarded liberal arts college, Williams College has a similar policy of meeting 100% of demonstrated need for all students.

5. Vanderbilt University in Tennessee is need-blind and meets 100% of a family's demonstrated financial need through grants and work-study, not loans.

6. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill also meets 100% of demonstrated need for in-state students and has a strong commitment to keeping education affordable.

While the examples above are tied to family income, remember that merit scholarships are also a form of financial aid, and schools like University of Alabama and University of Arizona are known for their substantial merit-based scholarships.

Every college deals with financial aid somewhat differently, depending upon the resources available to them and their institutional financial aid policies. Consulting a school's Net Price Calculator is a great way to ascertain how much financial aid you might expect from a given institution.