Meet Full Financial Need Colleges

Hey everyone, my family isn't exactly super well-off financially... and, well, college can be expensive. I heard there are some colleges that are really good at providing need-based financial aid. Any idea which ones they might be?

Sure, there are quite a few universities that are known to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need. It means that they commit to bridging the gap between the expected total cost of attending the school (including tuition, housing, meals, and other expenses) and what your family is calculated to be able to pay, as determined by your FAFSA and the CSS Profile, if necessary.

Here's a selection of both public and private colleges and universities that have a track record of meeting full demonstrated need:

Private:

1. Harvard University: Not only does Harvard meet 100% of demonstrated need for all students, but they're particularly generous for students from low- and middle-income families. For example, families who earn less than $85,000 pay nothing, and those earning between $85,000 and $150,000 pay only 0-10% of their income.

2. Columbia University: Columbia commits to covering 100% of demonstrated need, and they also do not expect students to take out loans as part of their aid packages.

3. Swarthmore College: Swarthmore will meet 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students, with a big chunk of their aid usually being given in the form of grants rather than loans.

Public:

1. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: UNC has a program named Carolina Covenant which allows qualifying low-income students to graduate debt-free.

2. University of Virginia: UVA has a similar program, AccessUVA, which ensures that all Virginian students with a family income less than 200% of the federal poverty level can attend without loans.

3. University of Michigan: UMich's Go Blue Guarantee allows in-state students with family income of $65,000 or less to attend tuition-free.

These are only a few examples, and there are many other institutions out there that offer generous need-based financial aid. It's always worth checking out the financial aid section on a university's website or reaching out to their financial aid office. Also, don't forget to use Net Price Calculators which are available on each college's website; they can give you an estimate of how much aid you might receive if you attend that school.