Top 10 Colleges with the Best Financial Aid

As you shop around for colleges, know that the sticker price you see on the website, mailings and brochures isn’t necessarily the price you’ll be paying. In addition to providing financial aid to meet need, colleges and universities try to woo students with generous scholarship and grant packages as well. In the end, those high-price schools can actually be pretty affordable. Student Loan Hero has found that the average financial aid and scholarship package is $20,494, but some schools give an even greater amount. Here are the top 10 most generous schools, according to Student Loan Hero: 1. Columbia University in New York City • Annual tuition and fees: $55,056
• Average financial aid package: $55,521 2. Yale University • Annual tuition and fees: $49,480
• Average financial aid package: $52,894 3. Williams College • Annual tuition and fees: $51,790
• Average financial aid package: $51,890 4. Amherst College • Annual tuition and fees: $52,476
• Average financial aid package: $51,775 5. Harvard University • Annual tuition and fees: $47,074
• Average financial aid package: $51,308 6. Vassar College • Annual tuition and fees: $50,820
• Average financial aid package: $53,090 7. Webb Institute • Annual tuition and fees: $48,775
• Average financial aid package: $50,710 8. Duke University • Annual tuition and fees: $51,265
• Average financial aid package: $50,312 9. University of Chicago • Annual tuition and fees: $52,491
• Average financial aid package: $49,967 10. Colgate University • Annual tuition and fees: $51,955
• Average financial aid package: $49,912