What Gets Listed Here

Most announcements of new scholarship programs tell students and families very little about how much they will actually have to pay for college. That's because scholarships are just one piece of the affordability equation. Inclusion of a college's financial aid program on this site is contingent upon the clarity with which they identify actual costs and how they expect students and their families to cover them. Listed pledges:

  • are applicable to all admitted students or to a subset of students defined by family income or educational background,

  • make it possible for the targeted families to get a clear sense of whether they qualify for the program and how much money they will need to pay directly and/or borrow to cover college costs; and,

  • cover most or all of the estimated student budget (at minimum: tuition and fees, room and board) with no loans or with a defined amount of loans.

Most pledges include a calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The difference between this ability-to-pay measurement and the total student budget (cost of attendance) is considered the student's "financial need." We include pledges that aim to cover all or most of that financial need.

We do not include programs that address tuition in isolation, not accounting for other costs of attendance. We also exclude programs that are narrowly restricted, such as those limited to a particular number of students or certain zip codes, or those with test scores or GPA requirements (beyond the general admissions criteria).

Inclusion of a program on this list does not mean that it is necessarily effective in reducing debt or increasing low-income enrollment. See How Pledges Can Fail.

If you know of a program that meets these criteria, please continue to submit a pledge

Common Requirements

A number of program elements are common among most or all of the included institutions’ financial aid commitments. We list them here rather than repeating them for every program. The programs are usually aimed at dependent students, and to be eligible an applicant must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.

  • Gain admission to the institution.

  • Complete the financial aid applications required by the institution.

  • Continue to meet the income criteria required by the program.

  • Enroll full-time.

  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress.