Princeton Review ranks top US universities for financial aid in 2025: See the full list here

Time of India

2 days ago

As college costs continue to rise across the United States, the 2026 edition of the 'Best Colleges' guide by Princeton Review ranks the top 10 US colleges offering the most generous financial aid.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The rankings are based on surveys from 170,000 students during the 2024–25 academic year, assessing how much financial aid is awarded and how satisfied students are with their packages.
According to the data, some top-ranked schools offer average need-based scholarships exceeding $70,000, significantly lowering out-of-pocket expenses for students. The rankings take into account institutional grants, student satisfaction, and the overall affordability of college despite high sticker prices.
Financial aid helps lower actual costs
Although the total cost of attending college has reached new highs—nearing or crossing the $100,000 threshold at several US institutions—most families are not paying the full price. According to Sallie Mae's 'How America Pays for College' report for the 2024–25 academic year, the average amount families spent was closer to $31,000. The report found that, on average, parent income and savings covered about half of the cost, while scholarships and grants accounted for over a quarter.
The remaining costs were largely covered by student loans.
Chris Ebeling, head of student lending at Citizens, stated that families need a 'multipoint plan' that involves more than just savings or debt, as reported by CNBC. Robert Franek, editor-in-chief at Princeton Review, told CNBC that 'there are buckets of resource dollars available,' pointing to institutional aid offered by many universities in addition to federal and state support.
Top 10 Best Schools for Financial Aid
Rank
Private Schools
Public Schools
1
Williams College – Williamstown, MA (2,101 students)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Chapel Hill, NC (21,075 students)
2
California Institute of Technology – Pasadena, CA (987 students)
New College of Florida – Sarasota, FL (852 students)
3
Yale University – New Haven, CT (6,814 students)
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor – Ann Arbor, MI (34,454 students)
4
Reed College – Portland, OR (1,346 students)
University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA (17,901 students)
5
Pomona College – Claremont, CA (1,766 students)
Truman State University – Kirksville, MO (3,265 students)
6
Vassar College – Poughkeepsie, NY (2,462 students)
CUNY—Hunter College – New York, NY (18,758 students)
7
Washington and Lee University – Lexington, VA (1,886 students)
University of Wisconsin-Madison – Madison, WI (39,083 students)
8
Carleton College – Northfield, MN (2,128 students)
University of California—San Diego – La Jolla, CA (34,955 students)
9
Kenyon College – Gambier, OH (2,228 students)
Michigan Technological University – Houghton, MI (6,022 students)
10
Grinnell College – Grinnell, IA (1,788 students)
University of Georgia – Athens, GA (31,514 students)
As reported by CNBC, Franek stated that these schools 'understand the pain points that families have in general and it is around cost, cost, cost.'
TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us
.