These private and public colleges top the list for most generous financial aid

Tuition and fees plus room and board, books and other expenses for a four-year private college averaged $57,570 in the 2022-23 academic year; at four-year, in-state public colleges, it was more than $27,940, according to the College Board, which tracks trends in college pricing and student aid.

Most college-bound students and their parents now say affordability and dealing with the debt burden that often goes hand in hand with a college diploma is their top concern, even over getting into their first-choice school, according to The Princeton Review's 2023 College Hopes & Worries survey.

A whopping 98% of families said financial aid would be necessary to pay for college, and 82% said it was "extremely" or "very" necessary, The Princeton Review found.

In fact, though college has been getting more expensive, few students and their parents pay the full amount.

1. Vassar College
Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
Sticker price: $81,360
Average need-based scholarship: $58,722
Total out-of-pocket cost: $22,638

2. Princeton University
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Sticker price: $79,090
Average need-based scholarship: $62,844
Total out-of-pocket cost: $16,246

3. Yale University
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Sticker price: $83,880
Average need-based scholarship: $61,067
Total out-of-pocket cost: $22,813

4. Pomona College
Location: Pomona, California
Sticker price: $82,700
Average need-based scholarship: $51,856
Total out-of-pocket cost: $30,844

5. Vanderbilt University
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Sticker price: $68,980
Average need-based scholarship: $54,417
Total out-of-pocket cost: $14,563

1. University of Virginia
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Sticker price (in-state): $36,806
Average need-based scholarship: $26,662
Total out-of-pocket cost: $10,944

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Sticker price (in-state): $22,104
Average need-based scholarship: $15,704
Total out-of-pocket cost: $6,310

3. Truman State University
Location: Kirksville, Missouri
Sticker price (in-state): $18,949
Average need-based scholarship: $9,576
Total out-of-pocket cost: $9,373

4. New College of Florida
Location: Sarasota, Florida
Sticker price (in-state): $17,207
Average need-based scholarship: $13,540
Total out-of-pocket cost: $3,557

5. City University of New York — Hunter College
Location: Manhattan, New York City
Sticker price (in-state): $23,447
Average need-based scholarship: $8,892
Total out-of-pocket cost: $14,555

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