One of the biggest concerns students and their families have about college is affordability. Rising costs at the nation’s public and private colleges keep qualified students from considering the best options.
Fortunately, many colleges are committed to remaining affordable to each admitted student regardless of their financial circumstances. A college or university that promises to make sure every penny of an accepted student’s demonstrated financial need is covered through grants, work-study, scholarships, and in some cases, federal student loans, is considered a 100% meet need college.
We’ve compiled a list of the colleges around the country who identify themselves as 100% meet need, and have indicated the specifics of their programs below. A major difference between colleges with 100% meet need programs is whether or not the college includes need-based federal student loans in a student’s financial aid package. The colleges that include student loans keep the amount a student is expected to borrow reasonably low. In these instances, check with the college’s office of financial aid for additional information.
If you are interested in learning more about any of these colleges or universities click on their name to view their College Greenlight profile.
Note: 100% meet need colleges pledge to meet a student’s full demonstrated need. Most students will still have an expected family contribution that they are responsible for and may need to borrow to pay for their share of college costs.
Colleges and universities are indexed alphabetically
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Amherst College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Barnard College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Bates College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Berea College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Boston College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Bowdoin College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Brown University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with a combined family income profile under $100,000 are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Bryn Mawr meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
California Institute of Technology meets the demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Carleton College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University meets the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students.
Claremont McKenna College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Colby College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Colgate University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
College of the Holy Cross meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Colorado College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Columbia University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Connecticut College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards if their family income is less than $50,000.
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Cornell University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family income and assets over $75,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Dartmouth College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family income over $100,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Davidson College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Duke University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards if their family income exceeds $60,000.
Emory University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards. See the Emory Advantage.
Franklin & Marshall meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Franklin W. Olin College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Georgetown University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Gettysburg College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Grinnell College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Hamilton College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Harvard University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Harvey Mudd College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Haverford College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Johns Hopkins University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Kenyon College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Lafayette College is committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students. Families who have total income of more than $50,000 may require borrowing up to $4,500 per year to meet need.
Lehigh University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans, but they have capped the amount to $5,000 per year.
Macalester College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $75,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Middlebury College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Mount Holyoke College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Northeastern University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Northwestern University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students who are eligible for Pell Grants are not required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Oberlin College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Occidental College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Pitzer College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Pomona College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Princeton University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Reed College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Rice University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $80,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Salem College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Scripps College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Skidmore College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Smith College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Soka University of America meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
St. Olaf College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Stanford University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
State University of New York (SUNY) Polytechnic Institute meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Swarthmore College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Thomas Aquinas College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Trinity College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Tufts University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Union College (Schenectady, NY) meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
University of Chicago meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $75,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
UNC – Chapel Hill meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Low-income students are not required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
University of Notre Dame meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
University of Pennsylvania meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
University of Richmond meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
The University of Rochester meets the full calculated institutional financial need of admitted students through a combination of scholarships, grants, need-based loans, and work-study.
University of Southern California (USC)
The University of Southern California meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
University of Virginia meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students whose family income is over 200% of the poverty line and whose assets exceed $75,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Vanderbilt University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Vassar College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $60,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Washington and Lee University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $60,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Wellesley College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $60,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Wesleyan University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $40,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Williams College meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students with family incomes over $75,000 may be required to take out federal student loans as part of their financial aid awards.
Yale University meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. Students are not required to take out student loans as part of their financial aid awards.