- Millions of students across the US are starting or returning to college, which keeps getting more expensive.
- Using data from the Department of Education, we looked at how many students received federal financial aid at the top schools on U.S. News and World Report’s annual college rankings.
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Millions of students across the US are starting or returning to college. As tuition continues to balloon, the finances of higher education are at the top of mind for many of those students.
Student debt and rising costs have financially burdened the millennial generation, and things are likely to continue getting worse. Financial aid from the government, private scholarships, and colleges themselves can go a long way in mitigating those costs.
We took a look at top-ranked schools where a high share of students received federal financial aid.
One of the main sources of financial aid to students comes from the federal government’s Pell Grant program. Pell Grants are intended to make college more accessible to students from families who would not be able to afford ever-rising tuition otherwise. The grants, which can be up to $6,195 per year, are awarded based on a student’s financial need and family situation.
We started by looking at the top 100 national universities and top 100 national liberal arts colleges in the U.S. News and World Report 2019 college rankings. Then, we found the share of students at those schools who received Pell Grants in the 2016-2017 academic year, the most recent year for which data is available, according to the Department of Education's College Scorecard database. Many schools and state governments offer additional financial aid to students, but Pell Grants represent a national baseline allowing a comparison of all colleges in the US.
Here are the 20 schools among the top-ranked colleges with the highest share of Pell Grant recipients in the 2016-17 academic year according to College Scorecard, along with their tuition and enrollment in the 2018-19 academic year, as reported by U.S. News:
20. Rutgers University: 29.4% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Out-of-state tuition: $31,282
In-state tuition: $14,974
Enrollment: 35,641
19. Allegheny College: 29.4% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Meadvile, Pennsylvania
Tuition: $47,540
Enrollment: 1,802
18. Florida State University: 30.5% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Out-of-state tuition: $21,673
In-state tuition: $6,507
Enrollment: 33,008
17. University at Buffalo (SUNY): 31.3% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Buffalo, New York
Out-of-state tuition: $27,758
In-state tuition: $10,028
Enrollment: 21,020
16. Illinois Institute of Technology: 31.5% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Tuition: $47,646
Enrollment: 2,900
15. College of the Atlantic: 31.6% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
Tuition: $43,542
Enrollment: 349
14. Stony Brook University (SUNY): 32.0% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Stony Brook, New York
Out-of-state tuition: $26,934
In-state tuition: $9,624
Enrollment: 17,364
13. Knox College: 32.5% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Galesburg, Illinois
Tuition: $46,554
Enrollment: 1,356
12. University of California – Los Angeles: 33.8% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Los Angeles, California
Out-of-state tuition: $41,294
In-state tuition: $13,280
Enrollment: 31,002
11. University of California – San Diego: 34.3% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: San Diego, California
Out-of-state tuition: $42,074
In-state tuition: $14,060
Enrollment: 28,587
10. Brigham Young University: 36.4% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Provo, Utah
Tuition: $5,620
Enrollment: 31,233
9. University of California – Santa Barbara: 36.5% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Out-of-state tuition: $42,486
In-state tuition: $14,472
Enrollment: 22,186
8. Agnes Scott College: 37.7% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Decatur, Georgia
Tuition: $41,160
Enrollment: 921
7. University of California – Davis: 38.5% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Davis, California
Out-of-state tuition: $43,458
In-state tuition: $14,463
Enrollment: 30,145
6. University of California – Santa Cruz: 39.4% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Out-of-state tuition: $41,963
In-state tuition: $13,949
Enrollment: 17,577
5. University of California – Irvine: 42.3% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Irvine, California
Out-of-state tuition: $43,530
In-state tuition: $15,516
Enrollment: 29,307
4. Howard University: 46.3% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Washington, DC
Tuition: $26,756
Enrollment: 6,354
3. Spelman College: 48.6% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Tuition: $29,064
Enrollment: 2,137
2. University of California – Riverside: 55.8% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Riverside, California
Out-of-state tuition: $42,879
In-state tuition: $13,887
Enrollment: 20,069
1. Berea College: 82.0% of students received Pell Grants.
Location: Berea, Kentucky
Tuition: $560
Enrollment: 1,670
