The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.
Many prospective college students apply to a public school with the hope that it will cost less than a private one. But applicants who are interested in public schools outside of their home state should understand that they will likely be charged higher tuition rates than in-state students.
Out-of-state students are also generally less likely to receive merit scholarships, meaning non-need-based aid, than in-state candidates; so in addition to facing a higher sticker price, they also are less likely to receive a big break on tuition costs.
The reason why public schools show a preference for in-state students is that these institutions are funded, in part, by tax dollars and subsidies from the state, so the primary mission of these schools is to educate state residents.
[Read: Strategies for Students Too Rich for Financial Aid, Too Poor for College.]
There were 154 ranked public schools in the National Universities category of the Best Colleges rankings that reported data on merit aid to U.S. News in an annual survey. National Universities are schools that offer a variety of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs.
In fall 2017, the average proportion of out-of-state undergraduates who received merit aid at these schools was 31.6 percent.
However, that average amounted to 79 percent among the 10 public schools that offered non-need-based scholarships to the highest percentage of out-of-state students.
[Read: Ultimate Guide: How to Find and Secure Scholarships for College.]
These 10 schools also tended to dole out more scholarship dollars to out-of-state students, with an average merit aid award of $13,265. That’s over $2,800 more than the average amount of merit aid given to out-of-state students at all other ranked public schools: around $10,450.
Below is a list of the 10 public National Universities that offered out-of-state applicants the best odds of winning merit scholarships. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School (state) | U.S. News rank | Percentage of out-of-state students receiving merit aid | Average merit aid award to out-of-state students |
| Bowling Green State University (OH) | 215 (tie) | 91% | $10,619 |
| University of Hawaii–Manoa | 157 (tie) | 87% | $18,856 |
| Utah State University | 205 (tie) | 84% | $14,554 |
| Mississippi State University | 177 (tie) | 83% | $14,510 |
| University of Toledo (OH) | 230-301 | 79% | $11,660 |
| Ball State University (IN) | 171 (tie) | 75% | $13,652 |
| Colorado School of Mines | 80 (tie) | 74% | $13,670 |
| Michigan Technological University | 136 (tie) | 73% | $12,339 |
| Kent State University (OH) | 191 (tie) | 72% | $10,049 |
| Louisiana Tech University | 230-301 | 72% | $12,742 |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find merit aid award information, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.
U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2018 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The merit aid data above are correct as of Dec. 11, 2018.
More from U.S. News
Talk to Admission Counselors to Maximize College Merit Financial Aid
3 Facts About Aid, Tuition for Out-of-State Students
7 Types of Scholarships That Can Help Pay for College, Graduate School
10 Public Schools That Award Merit Aid to Most Out-of-State Students originally appeared on usnews.com
