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Lists / Highly Selective Colleges that Meet 100% of Financial Need

Highly Selective Colleges that Meet 100% of Financial Need

Created by College Confidential

If you are interested in applying to a school with a low acceptance rate and are worried about a possibly high cost of tuition, there is no need to worry. Many highly selective schools provide financial help to ensure students can realistically cover the cost of tuition.

Schools that meet full need offer financial aid to offset the full price of tuition. This means that the school will offer aid equal to 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 highly selective schools with an acceptance rate under 15% that meet 100% of financial need.

Amherst College

  • Amherst College
    Amherst, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $67,280
    Out-of-State
    $67,280
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • At Amherst College the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $59,861 a year.

    The Colorado College

  • The Colorado College
    Colorado Springs, CO • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $67,932
    Out-of-State
    $67,932
    Acceptance Rate16%

    • At The Colorado College, the average financial aid package for an undergraduate student is around $60,181 a year. Currently, 753 of the 2,025 undergrads enrolled have received financial aid.

    Johns Hopkins University

  • Johns Hopkins University
    Baltimore, MD • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $62,840
    Out-of-State
    $62,840
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $53,723 a year. The majority of Johns Hopkins undergrads use financial aid to cover the cost of tuition. In the most recent academic year, 2,765 of the 5,427 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Cornell University

  • Cornell University
    Ithaca, NY • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $66,014
    Out-of-State
    $66,014
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • At Cornell, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $52,017 a year. In 2021, 7,093 of the 15,043 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Dartmouth College

  • Dartmouth College
    Hanover, NH • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $65,511
    Out-of-State
    $65,511
    Acceptance Rate6%

    • At Dartmouth, the average financial aid package is around $56,579 a year for a full-time, first-year students. In 2021, 2,159 of the 4,170 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Bowdoin College

  • Bowdoin College
    Brunswick, ME • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    Unknown
    Out-of-State
    Unknown
    Acceptance Rate9%

    • The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $50,204 a year. in 2021, 883 of the 1,777 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Bates College

  • Bates College
    Lewiston, ME • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,478
    Out-of-State
    $63,478
    Acceptance Rate14%

    • At Bates, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $53,090 a year. In 2021, 737 of the 1,876 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Princeton University

  • Princeton University
    Princeton, NJ • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $59,710
    Out-of-State
    $59,710
    Acceptance Rate6%

    • Princeton has an average financial aid package of around $50,459 a year for a full-time, first-year students and majority of undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Duke University

  • Duke University
    Durham, NC • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $65,992
    Out-of-State
    $65,992
    Acceptance Rate6%

    • At Duke, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $59,056 a year, and the majority of undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Northwestern University

  • Northwestern University
    Evanston, IL • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $65,997
    Out-of-State
    $65,997
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • Northwestern has an average financial aid package of around $55,856 a year for full-time, first year students, and the majority of undergrads enrolled receive financial aid.

    California Institute of Technology

  • California Institute of Technology
    Pasadena, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,255
    Out-of-State
    $63,255
    Acceptance Rate3%

    • At Caltech, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $50,854 a year. Over half of enrolled undergrads received financial aid in the most recent year.

    Stanford University

  • Stanford University
    Stanford, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,936
    Out-of-State
    $63,936
    Acceptance Rate4%

    • The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student at Stanford is around $59,882 a year. In the most recent year 3,425 of the 6,366 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Claremont McKenna College

  • Claremont McKenna College
    Claremont, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $64,150
    Out-of-State
    $64,150
    Acceptance Rate10%

    • At Claremont Mckenna, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $58,542 a year. In 2021, 551 of the 1,343 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Pomona College

  • Pomona College
    Claremont, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $59,238
    Out-of-State
    $59,238
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • At Pomona College the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $57,406 a year and majority of undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Rice University

  • Rice University
    Houston, TX • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $58,128
    Out-of-State
    $58,128
    Acceptance Rate9%

    • The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $53,687 a year. In the most recent year, 1,805 of the 4,076 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Vanderbilt University

  • Vanderbilt University
    Nashville, TN • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,946
    Out-of-State
    $63,946
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • The average Vanderbilt financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $56,842 a year. Around half of undergrads receive financial aid.

    Brown University

  • Brown University
    Providence, RI • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $68,230
    Out-of-State
    $68,230
    Acceptance Rate6%

    • At Brown, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $56,474 a year. In the most recent year, 2,941 of the 6,792 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    University of Pennsylvania

  • University of Pennsylvania
    Philadelphia, PA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $66,104
    Out-of-State
    $66,104
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • At University of Pennsylvania, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $58,352 a year. In 2021, half of undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Barnard College

  • Barnard College
    New York, NY • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    Unknown
    Out-of-State
    Unknown
    Acceptance Rate11%

    • The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $46,644 a year. In 2021, 1,001 of the 2,744 undergrads enrolled received financial aid.

    Columbia University

  • Columbia University
    New Yrok, NY • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $68,400
    Out-of-State
    $68,400
    Acceptance Rate4%

    • At Columbia, the average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $60,608 a year, and in 2021, the majority of Columbia undergrads received financial aid.

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Cambridge, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $60,156
    Out-of-State
    $60,156
    Acceptance Rate4%

    • The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $54,052 a year. In the most recent year the majority of MIT undergrads received financial aid.

    Harvard University

  • Harvard University
    Cambridge, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $59,076
    Out-of-State
    $59,076
    Acceptance Rate3%

    • The majority of Harvard University undergrads use financial aid to help pay for school. In 2021, 3,745 of the 5,222 undergrads enrolled received financial aid. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $62,338 a year.

    University of Chicago

  • University of Chicago
    Chicago, IL • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $65,619
    Out-of-State
    $65,619
    Acceptance Rate5%

    • The majority of University of Chicago undergrads use financial aid to to cover the cost of tuition and in the most recent year, 2,717 of 6,989 undergrads received financial aid. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $60,875 a year.

    Yale University

  • Yale University
    New Haven, CT • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $64,700
    Out-of-State
    $64,700
    Acceptance Rate5%

    • In the most recent year, 2,676 of the 4,703 undergrads at Yale received financial aid. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $61,407 a year.

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