Colleges With "No Loans" Financial Aid Policies
A handful of schools have instituted policies that ensure that low income students have no loans in their financial aid packages by replacing federal student loans with grants that the university pays.
How to Qualify
In many cases, you have to be a low-income student (as defined by the school) to qualify. Here are several examples of how you might qualify:
- You’re eligible for the Federal Pell Grant
- Your family’s annual income falls below a particular income threshold (typically $40,000 to $60,000)
"No Loan" Colleges Include:
- Amherst College
- Appalachian State University
- Arizona State University
- Boston University
- Bowdoin College
- Brown University
- Bryan College (Tennessee)
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Carleton College
- Colby College
- College of Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)
- College of William and Mary
- Colorado State University-Pueblo
- Columbia University
- Connecticut College
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Davidson College (North Carolina)
- Duke University
- Emory University
- Fairfield University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Grinnell College
- Harvard University
- Haverford College
- Indiana University Bloomington
- Kenyon College
- Lafayette College
- Lamar University
- Lehigh University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Miami University (Ohio)
- Michigan State University
- North Carolina State University
- Northern Illinois University
- Northwestern University
- Oberlin College
- Pomona College
- Princeton University
- Rice University
- Sacred Heart University
- Stanford University
- Swarthmore College
- Texas A&M University
- Texas State University - San Marcos
- Tufts University
- University of Arizona
- University of California at Berkeley
- University of California System
- University of Chicago
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Louisville
- University of Maryland, College Park
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- University of Minnesota System
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Tennessee
- University of Texas at El Paso
- University of Toledo
- University of Vermont
- University of Virginia
- University of Washington
- Vanderbilt University
- Vassar College
- Washington and Lee
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Wellesley College
- Wesleyan University
- Williams College
- Yale University
Military Service Academies
The U.S. Armed Forces operate five military service academies that provide a high-quality 4-year college education. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as officers (second lieutenant or ensign) in the corresponding branch of the U.S. military. The costs of tuition, fees, textbooks, room and board, as well as medical and dental care are covered in full. Students also receive a small monthly stipend. In exchange, they commit to a service obligation of at least five years.
The service academies include:
- U.S. Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York
- U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland
- U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in New London, Connecticut
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York
TUItion-Free
Some colleges and universities charge zero tuition. These institutions include: