69 Small Colleges That Offer Full-Tuition Scholarships

Parents are always asking me which small colleges offer full-tuition or full-ride merit scholarships that are not dependent on the results of the FAFSA. Technically, there are over 200 of that do—but the following 69 colleges are the ones that get between B- and A+ from both Niche (as overall grade), and B- to A+ from Forbes for financial strength. Good solid colleges with a bright future.

I did my best to NOT include those that require a specific state of residency, financial need, religious affiliation, or any other specific qualifier. As far as I know, these are all purely academic/leadership scholarships. Most require an interview and/or an extra essay. Most are for students with high GPAs. Some are even test-optional. I did not include STAMPS or National Merit.

Because colleges are constantly changing their financial aid programs, I cannot guarantee the total accuracy of this list, but at least it gives students and parents a starting point. Deadlines are coming up soon for most of these colleges too, so if you are interested, contact their admissions offices for details.

Tuskegee University AL

Hendrix College AR

Mount Saint Mary's University CA

Trinity College CT

Florida Southern College FL

Rollins College FL

Stetson University FL

Agnes Scott College GA

LaGrange College GA

Spelman College GA

Drake University IA

Illinois College IL

Lewis University IL

Monmouth College IL

Franklin College IN

Taylor University IN

Trine University IN

Wabash College IN

Asbury University KY

Centre College KY

Transylvania University KY

Bay Path University MA

Clark University MA

Mount Holyoke College MA

Simmons University MA

Goucher College MD

McDaniel College MD

St. John's College MD

Concordia College--Moorhead MN

Saint Catherine University MN

Cottey College MO

Meredith College NC

Doane University NE

St. John's College NM

St. Lawrence University NY

Webb Institute NY

College of Wooster OH

Denison University OH

Ohio Northern University OH

Ohio Wesleyan University OH

Otterbein University OH

University of Mount Union OH

Oklahoma Baptist University OK

University of Tulsa OK

Lewis & Clark College OR

Grove City College PA

King's College - Pennsylvania PA

Lafayette College PA

Lebanon Valley College PA

Misericordia University PA

Mount Aloysius College PA

Saint Vincent College PA

University of Scranton PA

Fisk University TN

Maryville College TN

Milligan University TN

Sewanee-University of the South TN

Trevecca Nazarene University TN

Howard Payne University TX

St. Mary's University TX

Trinity University TX

University of St. Thomas - TX TX

Hampden-Sydney College VA

Hollins University VA

University of Richmond VA

Washington and Lee University VA

Seattle Pacific University WA

University of Puget Sound WA

Milwaukee School of Engineering WI