I read Lynn O’Shaugnessy’s College Solution blog on a regular basis (Meaning, I skim over it every now and again and fully read the articles that grab my attention). She is a great writer and pays close attention to what is happening in our industry. Last month she posted an article that cited the top colleges and universities in our nation that meet a student’s financial need fully with scholarships and grants (no loans).

Since that article, some colleges have dropped from this list (I can vaguely remember Williams as being one of them) and others are really challenged to maintain this commitment to their students. My assumption is that you will see more of these colleges and universities slowly introducing student loans into their financial aid packages. But for now, here is the list, as comprised by a research group in Pennsylvania, of the educational organizations that should be in your sights if you are looking to minimize your college expenses and maximize financial aid. Enjoy!

Amherst College
Arizona State University
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Cal Tech
Claremont McKenna
Colby College
College of William and Mary
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Emory University
Georgia Tech
Harvard University
Haverford College
Indiana University
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Michigan State University
MIT
North Carolina State
Northern Illinois U.
Northwestern University
Pomona College

Princeton University
Rice University
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Texas A&M University
Tufts University
University of North Carolina
University of Chicago
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Illinois
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Virginia
US Military Academy
US Naval Academy
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Washington and Lee University
Washington U. St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Williams College
Yale University

Rankings for Colleges and Universities has been in existence probably since the founding of the first three educational institutions in the early American colonial era. If you are curious about which three were first, it all started with New College (known know as Harvard) in 1636, College of William and Mary in 1693, and Collegiate School (Yale) in 1701. If you want to see about others, Wikepedia has a nice chart for your perusal.

Ok.. enough of the history lesson..

Following tradition of ranking educational institutions, the Princeton Review has released the top 20 value picks for Colleges and Universities for 2010. You may be in disbelief about some of the names below but keep in mind that these are the Best Value schools and not necessarily the Cheapest.

Enjoy!

PUBLIC

1. University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
2. City University of New York – Hunter College (New York, N.Y.)
3. New College of Florida (Sarasota)
4. Florida State University (Tallahassee)
5. University of Colorado-Boulder
6. State University of New York-Binghamton
7. University of Georgia (Athens)
8. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg)
9. Texas A&M University (College Station)
10. University of Oklahoma (Norman)

PRIVATE

1. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pa.)
2. Harvard College (Cambridge, Mass.)
3. Wesleyan College (Macon, Ga.)
4. Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.)
5. Yale University (New Haven, Conn.)
6. Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.)
7. Rice University (Houston, Texas)
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Mass.)
9. Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.)
10. Wellesley College (Wellesley, Mass.)