Spike Rankings 2027
Best Colleges for First-Generation and Low-Income Students in America
Colleges that enroll students from every background, keep the price low, and see them through. How Spike ranks
How this list is ranked.
Pell Grant students 25%, price for families under $30k 25%, graduation 20%, first-generation students 15%, graduation vs expected 15%.
232 colleges qualify from Spike’s guide of 233. Colleges without enough reported data are left out.
Guide updated . Data snapshot: . Sources and data years.
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232 colleges
Number 1: University of California-Irvine- 37% Pell Grant students
- $6,160 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 2: University of California-Berkeley- 32% Pell Grant students
- $5,110 a year at under $30k
- 93% graduate
Number 3: California State University-Fullerton- 53% Pell Grant students
- $2,620 a year at under $30k
- 69% graduate
Number 4: University of California-Riverside- 49% Pell Grant students
- $6,871 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 5: University of California-Los Angeles- 32% Pell Grant students
- $7,755 a year at under $30k
- 93% graduate
Number 6: University of California-Davis- 36% Pell Grant students
- $8,770 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 7: CUNY Bernard M Baruch College- 61% Pell Grant students
- 71% graduate
Number 8: University of California-San Diego- 38% Pell Grant students
- $9,229 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 9: Columbia University in the City of New York- 25% Pell Grant students
- $2,275 a year at under $30k
- 96% graduate
Number 10: California State University-Fresno- 62% Pell Grant students
- $3,925 a year at under $30k
- 58% graduate
Number 11: Berea College- 84% Pell Grant students
- $5,373 a year at under $30k
- 62% graduate
Number 12: University of Florida- 24% Pell Grant students
- $1,968 a year at under $30k
- 92% graduate
Number 13: Yale University- 24% Pell Grant students
- $1,256 a year at under $30k
- 96% graduate
Number 14: Princeton University- 24% Pell Grant students
- 97% graduate
Number 15: California State University-Northridge- 61% Pell Grant students
- $4,429 a year at under $30k
- 57% graduate
Number 16: Florida International University- 43% Pell Grant students
- $9,529 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 17: California State University-Long Beach- 54% Pell Grant students
- $6,443 a year at under $30k
- 70% graduate
Number 18: Harvard University- 20% Pell Grant students
- $2,542 a year at under $30k
- 97% graduate
Number 19: University of California-Santa Barbara- 32% Pell Grant students
- $9,523 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 20: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign- 26% Pell Grant students
- $871 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 21: Massachusetts Institute of Technology- 24% Pell Grant students
- 96% graduate
Number 22: California Institute of Technology- 23% Pell Grant students
- $7,553 a year at under $30k
- 92% graduate
Number 23: Ohio State University-Main Campus- 23% Pell Grant students
- $6,061 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 24: The University of Texas at Austin- 29% Pell Grant students
- $8,979 a year at under $30k
- 89% graduate
Number 25: New Jersey Institute of Technology- 43% Pell Grant students
- $12,394 a year at under $30k
- 72% graduate
Number 26: San Jose State University- 39% Pell Grant students
- $10,381 a year at under $30k
- 68% graduate
Number 27: Fashion Institute of Technology- 35% Pell Grant students
- $12,551 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 28: University of Maryland-College Park- 22% Pell Grant students
- $1,141 a year at under $30k
- 88% graduate
Number 29: Rutgers University-New Brunswick- 31% Pell Grant students
- $15,090 a year at under $30k
- 84% graduate
Number 30: Stony Brook University- 43% Pell Grant students
- $13,938 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 31: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art- 30% Pell Grant students
- $2,325 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 32: The University of Texas at Dallas- 32% Pell Grant students
- $10,562 a year at under $30k
- 77% graduate
Number 33: Stanford University- 22% Pell Grant students
- $1,067 a year at under $30k
- 92% graduate
Number 34: University of Central Florida- 37% Pell Grant students
- $7,870 a year at under $30k
- 78% graduate
Number 35: New Mexico State University-Main Campus- 48% Pell Grant students
- $4,997 a year at under $30k
- 54% graduate
Number 36: Florida State University- 25% Pell Grant students
- $4,332 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 37: San Diego State University- 35% Pell Grant students
- $8,258 a year at under $30k
- 77% graduate
Number 38: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor- 22% Pell Grant students
- $3,155 a year at under $30k
- 93% graduate
Number 39: University of Houston- 47% Pell Grant students
- $8,468 a year at under $30k
- 65% graduate
Number 40: California State University-Sacramento- 53% Pell Grant students
- $8,392 a year at under $30k
- 55% graduate
Number 41: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- 21% Pell Grant students
- $2,212 a year at under $30k
- 91% graduate
Number 42: University of Connecticut- 28% Pell Grant students
- $13,649 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 43: Webb Institute- 15% Pell Grant students
- $3,060 a year at under $30k
- 88% graduate
Number 44: Washington and Lee University- 14% Pell Grant students
- $28 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 45: Northwestern University- 21% Pell Grant students
- $1,427 a year at under $30k
- 96% graduate
Number 46: Rice University- 22% Pell Grant students
- $5,707 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 47: Vanderbilt University- 25% Pell Grant students
- $3,637 a year at under $30k
- 93% graduate
Number 48: Centre College- 30% Pell Grant students
- $11,861 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 49: Johns Hopkins University- 23% Pell Grant students
- $1,772 a year at under $30k
- 94% graduate
Number 50: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus- 29% Pell Grant students
- $11,203 a year at under $30k
- 75% graduate
Number 51: North Carolina State University at Raleigh- 23% Pell Grant students
- $6,149 a year at under $30k
- 85% graduate
Number 52: Florida Atlantic University- 37% Pell Grant students
- $5,257 a year at under $30k
- 63% graduate
Number 53: University of the Pacific- 40% Pell Grant students
- $17,568 a year at under $30k
- 71% graduate
Number 54: Portland State University- 46% Pell Grant students
- $6,255 a year at under $30k
- 53% graduate
Number 55: University of Chicago- 17% Pell Grant students
- $394 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 56: CUNY Hunter College- 59% Pell Grant students
- 58% graduate
Number 57: Temple University- 39% Pell Grant students
- $19,047 a year at under $30k
- 74% graduate
Number 58: Arizona State University Campus Immersion- 33% Pell Grant students
- $9,413 a year at under $30k
- 68% graduate
Number 59: Dartmouth College- 17% Pell Grant students
- $1,399 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 60: San Francisco State University- 46% Pell Grant students
- $6,699 a year at under $30k
- 50% graduate
Number 61: George Mason University- 34% Pell Grant students
- $9,594 a year at under $30k
- 67% graduate
Number 62: CUNY City College- 63% Pell Grant students
- 53% graduate
Number 63: Michigan State University- 24% Pell Grant students
- $11,741 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 64: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo- 23% Pell Grant students
- $10,354 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 65: Illinois Institute of Technology- 38% Pell Grant students
- $17,590 a year at under $30k
- 73% graduate
Number 66: University of Washington-Seattle Campus- 19% Pell Grant students
- $7,610 a year at under $30k
- 85% graduate
Number 67: Washington University in St Louis- 22% Pell Grant students
- $2,578 a year at under $30k
- 94% graduate
Number 68: University of North Florida- 35% Pell Grant students
- $8,358 a year at under $30k
- 69% graduate
Number 69: Bradley University- 37% Pell Grant students
- $18,833 a year at under $30k
- 75% graduate
Number 70: University of Wisconsin-Madison- 19% Pell Grant students
- $3,424 a year at under $30k
- 90% graduate
Number 71: Illinois State University- 38% Pell Grant students
- $12,040 a year at under $30k
- 66% graduate
Number 72: Texas A&M University-College Station- 23% Pell Grant students
- $13,226 a year at under $30k
- 84% graduate
Number 73: Washington State University- 35% Pell Grant students
- $6,750 a year at under $30k
- 62% graduate
Number 74: Cornell University- 22% Pell Grant students
- $6,371 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 75: The University of Texas at San Antonio- 49% Pell Grant students
- $7,752 a year at under $30k
- 52% graduate
Number 76: CUNY Brooklyn College- 59% Pell Grant students
- 53% graduate
Number 77: Lawrence University- 27% Pell Grant students
- $12,417 a year at under $30k
- 78% graduate
Number 78: Brown University- 17% Pell Grant students
- $39 a year at under $30k
- 96% graduate
Number 79: Duke University- 19% Pell Grant students
- $6,652 a year at under $30k
- 96% graduate
Number 80: University of Virginia-Main Campus- 19% Pell Grant students
- $9,479 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 81: California Lutheran University- 38% Pell Grant students
- $22,204 a year at under $30k
- 69% graduate
Number 82: University of Georgia- 20% Pell Grant students
- $8,995 a year at under $30k
- 89% graduate
Number 83: University of Pennsylvania- 20% Pell Grant students
- 97% graduate
Number 84: North Carolina A & T State University- 57% Pell Grant students
- $8,284 a year at under $30k
- 57% graduate
Number 85: Indiana University-Bloomington- 20% Pell Grant students
- $6,683 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 86: Cleveland State University- 46% Pell Grant students
- $10,230 a year at under $30k
- 51% graduate
Number 87: University of Mississippi- 24% Pell Grant students
- $10,536 a year at under $30k
- 71% graduate
Number 88: Mount Holyoke College- 26% Pell Grant students
- $15,445 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 89: University of Southern California- 27% Pell Grant students
- $17,171 a year at under $30k
- 91% graduate
Number 90: University of Portland- 31% Pell Grant students
- $20,181 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 91: Agnes Scott College- 46% Pell Grant students
- $22,740 a year at under $30k
- 70% graduate
Number 92: Wichita State University- 35% Pell Grant students
- $7,530 a year at under $30k
- 52% graduate
Number 93: Drexel University- 32% Pell Grant students
- $28,843 a year at under $30k
- 78% graduate
Number 94: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University- 58% Pell Grant students
- $12,635 a year at under $30k
- 57% graduate
Number 95: University of Kentucky- 25% Pell Grant students
- $12,528 a year at under $30k
- 72% graduate
Number 96: William & Mary- 15% Pell Grant students
- $3,292 a year at under $30k
- 89% graduate
Number 97: University of Redlands- 40% Pell Grant students
- $29,684 a year at under $30k
- 66% graduate
Number 98: Iowa State University- 23% Pell Grant students
- $11,957 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 99: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus- 17% Pell Grant students
- $7,687 a year at under $30k
- 94% graduate
Number 100: Florida Gulf Coast University- 32% Pell Grant students
- $8,096 a year at under $30k
- 57% graduate
Number 101: Old Dominion University- 41% Pell Grant students
- $8,610 a year at under $30k
- 45% graduate
Number 102: Texas Tech University- 32% Pell Grant students
- $15,008 a year at under $30k
- 69% graduate
Number 103: Emory University- 21% Pell Grant students
- $10,593 a year at under $30k
- 91% graduate
Number 104: Saint Edward's University- 49% Pell Grant students
- $22,642 a year at under $30k
- 60% graduate
Number 105: University of Delaware- 20% Pell Grant students
- $5,566 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 106: University of Wyoming- 28% Pell Grant students
- $9,037 a year at under $30k
- 60% graduate
Number 107: University of Louisville- 34% Pell Grant students
- $12,104 a year at under $30k
- 61% graduate
Number 108: Kansas State University- 24% Pell Grant students
- $12,650 a year at under $30k
- 71% graduate
Number 109: Tufts University- 14% Pell Grant students
- $4,195 a year at under $30k
- 94% graduate
Number 110: Morgan State University- 61% Pell Grant students
- $14,329 a year at under $30k
- 41% graduate
Number 111: University of Oregon- 25% Pell Grant students
- $15,917 a year at under $30k
- 71% graduate
Number 112: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University- 17% Pell Grant students
- $11,378 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 113: University of Cincinnati-Main Campus- 22% Pell Grant students
- $16,848 a year at under $30k
- 75% graduate
Number 114: The University of Texas at Arlington- 48% Pell Grant students
- $15,732 a year at under $30k
- 52% graduate
Number 115: Art Center College of Design- 24% Pell Grant students
- $43,579 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 116: Mississippi State University- 33% Pell Grant students
- $17,042 a year at under $30k
- 68% graduate
Number 117: University of Nebraska-Lincoln- 27% Pell Grant students
- $11,449 a year at under $30k
- 68% graduate
Number 118: University of New Mexico-Main Campus- 43% Pell Grant students
- $19,896 a year at under $30k
- 54% graduate
Number 119: Lewis & Clark College- 25% Pell Grant students
- $15,737 a year at under $30k
- 75% graduate
Number 120: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College- 32% Pell Grant students
- $14,670 a year at under $30k
- 68% graduate
Number 121: University of Rhode Island- 25% Pell Grant students
- $15,297 a year at under $30k
- 73% graduate
Number 122: Virginia Commonwealth University- 36% Pell Grant students
- $18,927 a year at under $30k
- 64% graduate
Number 123: Seattle University- 31% Pell Grant students
- $21,379 a year at under $30k
- 73% graduate
Number 124: Stevens Institute of Technology- 24% Pell Grant students
- $28,690 a year at under $30k
- 88% graduate
Number 125: Michigan Technological University- 25% Pell Grant students
- 69% graduate
Number 126: University of Notre Dame- 17% Pell Grant students
- $8,380 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 127: Missouri University of Science and Technology- 27% Pell Grant students
- $11,559 a year at under $30k
- 66% graduate
Number 128: Purdue University-Main Campus- 16% Pell Grant students
- $6,147 a year at under $30k
- 84% graduate
Number 129: University of Rochester- 20% Pell Grant students
- $15,091 a year at under $30k
- 84% graduate
Number 130: University of South Carolina-Columbia- 23% Pell Grant students
- $13,832 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 131: Trinity University- 23% Pell Grant students
- $14,120 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 132: University of Missouri-Columbia- 23% Pell Grant students
- $15,038 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 133: Marquette University- 21% Pell Grant students
- $20,708 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 134: Whittier College- 39% Pell Grant students
- $22,133 a year at under $30k
- 58% graduate
Number 135: Carnegie Mellon University- 19% Pell Grant students
- $14,468 a year at under $30k
- 94% graduate
Number 136: Oregon State University- 27% Pell Grant students
- $16,485 a year at under $30k
- 69% graduate
Number 137: University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus- 16% Pell Grant students
- $16,477 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 138: Loyola University New Orleans- 43% Pell Grant students
- $17,795 a year at under $30k
- 60% graduate
Number 139: Xavier University of Louisiana- 60% Pell Grant students
- $17,682 a year at under $30k
- 52% graduate
Number 140: Kent State University at Kent- 34% Pell Grant students
- $15,853 a year at under $30k
- 57% graduate
Number 141: University of Idaho- 28% Pell Grant students
- $13,085 a year at under $30k
- 59% graduate
Number 142: Ohio University-Main Campus- 26% Pell Grant students
- $15,142 a year at under $30k
- 65% graduate
Number 143: Boston College- 17% Pell Grant students
- $7,293 a year at under $30k
- 90% graduate
Number 144: Georgetown University- 13% Pell Grant students
- $10,252 a year at under $30k
- 95% graduate
Number 145: West Virginia University- 25% Pell Grant students
- $15,015 a year at under $30k
- 65% graduate
Number 146: Lehigh University- 21% Pell Grant students
- $14,290 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 147: University of Iowa- 20% Pell Grant students
- $15,353 a year at under $30k
- 75% graduate
Number 148: Loyola University Chicago- 30% Pell Grant students
- $30,709 a year at under $30k
- 73% graduate
Number 149: Trinity College- 16% Pell Grant students
- $7,222 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 150: Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus- 16% Pell Grant students
- $22,193 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 151: Willamette University- 27% Pell Grant students
- $21,139 a year at under $30k
- 71% graduate
Number 152: Howard University- 41% Pell Grant students
- $28,321 a year at under $30k
- 72% graduate
Number 153: Clemson University- 18% Pell Grant students
- $14,943 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 154: Chapman University- 24% Pell Grant students
- $34,494 a year at under $30k
- 82% graduate
Number 155: Milwaukee School of Engineering- 29% Pell Grant students
- $14,061 a year at under $30k
- 65% graduate
Number 156: Case Western Reserve University- 19% Pell Grant students
- $14,046 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 157: Colorado State University-Fort Collins- 24% Pell Grant students
- $12,291 a year at under $30k
- 67% graduate
Number 158: University of Kansas- 23% Pell Grant students
- $15,379 a year at under $30k
- 70% graduate
Number 159: University of New Hampshire-Main Campus- 21% Pell Grant students
- $18,960 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 160: Pepperdine University- 24% Pell Grant students
- $38,093 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 161: James Madison University- 17% Pell Grant students
- $14,379 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 162: Wake Forest University- 12% Pell Grant students
- $6,242 a year at under $30k
- 90% graduate
Number 163: New York University- 20% Pell Grant students
- $16,349 a year at under $30k
- 88% graduate
Number 164: Miami University-Oxford- 15% Pell Grant students
- $16,121 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 165: Fordham University- 28% Pell Grant students
- $32,069 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 166: College of the Holy Cross- 16% Pell Grant students
- $9,931 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 167: Spelman College- 33% Pell Grant students
- $41,125 a year at under $30k
- 78% graduate
Number 168: Bentley University- 20% Pell Grant students
- $25,905 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 169: Kettering University- 23% Pell Grant students
- $20,842 a year at under $30k
- 72% graduate
Number 170: Boston University- 21% Pell Grant students
- $16,336 a year at under $30k
- 89% graduate
Number 171: University of Maine- 27% Pell Grant students
- $13,222 a year at under $30k
- 56% graduate
Number 172: University of San Francisco- 33% Pell Grant students
- $23,963 a year at under $30k
- 68% graduate
Number 173: Southwestern University- 28% Pell Grant students
- $21,387 a year at under $30k
- 73% graduate
Number 174: Saint Louis University- 20% Pell Grant students
- $24,520 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 175: Clark Atlanta University- 75% Pell Grant students
- $38,601 a year at under $30k
- 44% graduate
Number 176: Wentworth Institute of Technology- 29% Pell Grant students
- $24,776 a year at under $30k
- 66% graduate
Number 177: Rhodes College- 19% Pell Grant students
- $17,430 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 178: School of Visual Arts- 19% Pell Grant students
- $50,311 a year at under $30k
- 77% graduate
Number 179: Gettysburg College- 23% Pell Grant students
- $17,752 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 180: Lafayette College- 14% Pell Grant students
- $11,822 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 181: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute- 22% Pell Grant students
- $25,140 a year at under $30k
- 82% graduate
Number 182: Clarkson University- 23% Pell Grant students
- $18,064 a year at under $30k
- 73% graduate
Number 183: University of Miami- 18% Pell Grant students
- $14,575 a year at under $30k
- 84% graduate
Number 184: University of Vermont- 16% Pell Grant students
- $11,915 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 185: Texas Christian University- 19% Pell Grant students
- $22,363 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 186: The University of Montana- 33% Pell Grant students
- $19,112 a year at under $30k
- 48% graduate
Number 187: Tuskegee University- 62% Pell Grant students
- $40,091 a year at under $30k
- 55% graduate
Number 188: Boise State University- 22% Pell Grant students
- $15,410 a year at under $30k
- 61% graduate
Number 189: Creighton University- 14% Pell Grant students
- $22,787 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 190: Belmont University- 27% Pell Grant students
- $28,236 a year at under $30k
- 71% graduate
Number 191: Hampton University- 43% Pell Grant students
- $26,177 a year at under $30k
- 61% graduate
Number 192: Colorado School of Mines- 17% Pell Grant students
- $21,504 a year at under $30k
- 82% graduate
Number 193: Pitzer College- 12% Pell Grant students
- $16,090 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 194: University of Denver- 18% Pell Grant students
- $15,042 a year at under $30k
- 75% graduate
Number 195: George Washington University- 20% Pell Grant students
- $19,440 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 196: University of Colorado Boulder- 17% Pell Grant students
- $13,403 a year at under $30k
- 74% graduate
Number 197: Worcester Polytechnic Institute- 15% Pell Grant students
- $36,899 a year at under $30k
- 90% graduate
Number 198: Occidental College- 20% Pell Grant students
- $20,797 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 199: Rochester Institute of Technology- 31% Pell Grant students
- $24,161 a year at under $30k
- 70% graduate
Number 200: College of Charleston- 23% Pell Grant students
- $14,245 a year at under $30k
- 66% graduate
Number 201: Kenyon College- 11% Pell Grant students
- $14,548 a year at under $30k
- 84% graduate
Number 202: The University of the South- 19% Pell Grant students
- $20,205 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 203: Morehouse College- 49% Pell Grant students
- $32,102 a year at under $30k
- 58% graduate
Number 204: Drake University- 28% Pell Grant students
- $28,458 a year at under $30k
- 72% graduate
Number 205: Southern Methodist University- 18% Pell Grant students
- $31,728 a year at under $30k
- 84% graduate
Number 206: Connecticut College- 18% Pell Grant students
- $17,313 a year at under $30k
- 82% graduate
Number 207: Villanova University- 15% Pell Grant students
- $21,459 a year at under $30k
- 92% graduate
Number 208: Whitman College- 21% Pell Grant students
- $15,180 a year at under $30k
- 78% graduate
Number 209: Santa Clara University- 14% Pell Grant students
- $22,696 a year at under $30k
- 88% graduate
Number 210: Pratt Institute-Main- 23% Pell Grant students
- $42,254 a year at under $30k
- 74% graduate
Number 211: Rhode Island School of Design- 17% Pell Grant students
- $29,175 a year at under $30k
- 90% graduate
Number 212: Syracuse University- 19% Pell Grant students
- $21,872 a year at under $30k
- 82% graduate
Number 213: Franklin and Marshall College- 17% Pell Grant students
- $20,059 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 214: Butler University- 19% Pell Grant students
- $30,817 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 215: Dickinson College- 17% Pell Grant students
- $12,989 a year at under $30k
- 77% graduate
Number 216: University of Utah- 21% Pell Grant students
- $24,961 a year at under $30k
- 66% graduate
Number 217: Bard College- 23% Pell Grant students
- $15,618 a year at under $30k
- 68% graduate
Number 218: University of Dayton- 19% Pell Grant students
- $22,720 a year at under $30k
- 80% graduate
Number 219: Bucknell University- 15% Pell Grant students
- $17,578 a year at under $30k
- 86% graduate
Number 220: Auburn University- 15% Pell Grant students
- $19,536 a year at under $30k
- 82% graduate
Number 221: Denison University- 15% Pell Grant students
- $15,189 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 222: Loyola Marymount University- 18% Pell Grant students
- $36,415 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 223: Tulane University of Louisiana- 14% Pell Grant students
- $23,823 a year at under $30k
- 87% graduate
Number 224: Elon University- 13% Pell Grant students
- $20,986 a year at under $30k
- 83% graduate
Number 225: Montana State University- 19% Pell Grant students
- $19,322 a year at under $30k
- 58% graduate
Number 226: Emerson College- 20% Pell Grant students
- $49,140 a year at under $30k
- 79% graduate
Number 227: California Institute of the Arts- 29% Pell Grant students
- $42,456 a year at under $30k
- 65% graduate
Number 228: Furman University- 15% Pell Grant students
- $17,649 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 229: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology- 14% Pell Grant students
- $39,823 a year at under $30k
- 76% graduate
Number 230: Baylor University- 16% Pell Grant students
- $45,498 a year at under $30k
- 81% graduate
Number 231: Xavier University- 18% Pell Grant students
- $26,294 a year at under $30k
- 70% graduate
Number 232: Berklee College of Music- 18% Pell Grant students
- $42,991 a year at under $30k
- 70% graduate
How to use this ranking.
Look for affordable colleges where first-generation and low-income students are represented. Ask about advising, emergency grants and support through graduation.
What the rank does not tell you.
Enrollment shares show who attends. The graduation measure covers the college as a whole, so this list does not establish graduation outcomes for either group separately.
Spike ranks the colleges in its guide, not every college in America. Read the full method and its limits, or compare colleges by your own priorities.
What Spike does with this
A ranking is where to start looking.
Spike checks each college against your grades, budget and goals. Then it helps you build a list that holds up.
Free to start, right in your browser.