17 Mid-Size Private Colleges That Give Excellent Merit Aid
- vpeterpitts
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Yes, I am the “Small College Guy,” but sometimes my followers ask me for suggestions of some midsize private colleges that offer great merit aid. There are a little over one hundred mid-size (mid-size = 3,500 to 10,000 undergraduate students) colleges and universities throughout the United States. These tend to be very popular, highly ranked colleges—and, of course, with popularity usually comes a high price (with very little merit aid for higher-income families). The seventeen colleges on this list have a strong financial base (rated B- to A+ by Forbes). They also tend to receive a strong “B” or higher grades from Niche. These seventeen colleges are also quite generous with merit scholarships.
A solid "B" student (typically a 3.0 unweighted GPA) has a strong chance of admission at almost all of these schools. Even though the average GPA for admitted students at many of these colleges falls in the "A-" to "B+" range (3.4 to 3.8), nearly all of them have high acceptance rates (generally 60% to 90%). These colleges use holistic admissions, so they evaluate more than just GPA. A "B" student with an upward grade trend, solid course rigor, decent test scores (some are test-optional), and good extracurriculars has a good chance to be admitted.
Despite the average sticker price of $67,000, their average out-of-pocket price (for higher-income families making more than $110,000) averages $37,000 (some pay more, some pay less). Students with high financial need, of course, pay a lot less. In any event, these are some excellent mid-size private colleges to add to your list. Make sure to complete each college’s Net Price Calculator to see an approximation of what your situation might be.
Samford University AL
Nova Southeastern University FL
Mercer University GA
Bradley University IL
Loyola University Maryland MD
University of Saint Thomas MN
Saint Louis University MO
Adelphi University NY
Hofstra University NY
Ithaca College NY
Long Island University NY
Mercy University NY
St. John's University NY
University of Dayton OH
Xavier University OH
Saint Joseph's University PA
Marquette University WI