1
Reed College
OR · Acceptance Rate: 41%
Tuition: $63,530
Est. Net Cost: $30,697
Avg. Merit Aid: $32,833
SAT Midpoint: 1430
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Top 20 Colleges for Middle-Income Families
Top colleges offering strong aid packages for middle-income families.
How we ranked these schools
Schools are scored on a combination of estimated net cost after merit aid (targeting the $15K–$40K range typical for middle-income families), merit aid generosity, and academic quality as measured by SAT midpoint. Only schools with published merit scholarship data and acceptance rates above 20% are included. Data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (the federal government's education data authority), Princeton Review, Niche, and My School List's own school database. All figures reflect the most recently available data and are updated periodically. Rankings are for informational purposes only.
2
Pepperdine University
CA · Acceptance Rate: 37%
Tuition: $63,160
Est. Net Cost: $30,493
Avg. Merit Aid: $32,667
SAT Midpoint: 1355
3
Scripps College
CA · Acceptance Rate: 28%
Tuition: $61,200
Est. Net Cost: $29,533
Avg. Merit Aid: $31,667
SAT Midpoint: 1440
4
Franklin & Marshall College
PA · Acceptance Rate: 30%
Tuition: $62,850
Est. Net Cost: $30,350
Avg. Merit Aid: $32,500
SAT Midpoint: 1355
5
Occidental College
CA · Acceptance Rate: 37%
Tuition: $61,800
Est. Net Cost: $29,800
Avg. Merit Aid: $32,000
SAT Midpoint: 1385
6
Sarah Lawrence College
NY · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $62,070
Est. Net Cost: $30,070
Avg. Merit Aid: $32,000
SAT Midpoint: 1365
7
University of Richmond
VA · Acceptance Rate: 25%
Tuition: $60,870
Est. Net Cost: $30,870
Avg. Merit Aid: $30,000
SAT Midpoint: 1390
8
Lehigh University
PA · Acceptance Rate: 32%
Tuition: $60,590
Est. Net Cost: $30,590
Avg. Merit Aid: $30,000
SAT Midpoint: 1385
9
Lafayette College
PA · Acceptance Rate: 38%
Tuition: $60,200
Est. Net Cost: $30,200
Avg. Merit Aid: $30,000
SAT Midpoint: 1355
10
Lawrence University
WI · Acceptance Rate: 62%
Tuition: $54,264
Est. Net Cost: $26,264
Avg. Merit Aid: $28,000
SAT Midpoint: 1300
11
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
NY · Acceptance Rate: 50%
Tuition: $60,951
Est. Net Cost: $34,576
Avg. Merit Aid: $26,375
SAT Midpoint: 1410
12
DePauw University
IN · Acceptance Rate: 63%
Tuition: $55,330
Est. Net Cost: $27,663
Avg. Merit Aid: $27,667
SAT Midpoint: 1230
13
Beloit College
WI · Acceptance Rate: 70%
Tuition: $53,250
Est. Net Cost: $25,750
Avg. Merit Aid: $27,500
SAT Midpoint: 1215
14
Case Western Reserve University
OH · Acceptance Rate: 30%
Tuition: $58,200
Est. Net Cost: $33,200
Avg. Merit Aid: $25,000
SAT Midpoint: 1440
15
Sewanee University of the South
TN · Acceptance Rate: 55%
Tuition: $52,900
Est. Net Cost: $26,567
Avg. Merit Aid: $26,333
SAT Midpoint: 1290
16
College of William & Mary
VA · Acceptance Rate: 33%
Tuition: $47,970
Est. Net Cost: $23,137
Avg. Merit Aid: $24,833
SAT Midpoint: 1435
17
Mount Holyoke College
MA · Acceptance Rate: 52%
Tuition: $58,600
Est. Net Cost: $33,225
Avg. Merit Aid: $25,375
SAT Midpoint: 1380
18
Centre College
KY · Acceptance Rate: 59%
Tuition: $50,200
Est. Net Cost: $24,200
Avg. Merit Aid: $26,000
SAT Midpoint: 1275
19
Fordham University
NY · Acceptance Rate: 46%
Tuition: $58,082
Est. Net Cost: $33,082
Avg. Merit Aid: $25,000
SAT Midpoint: 1365
20
Chapman University
CA · Acceptance Rate: 58%
Tuition: $60,954
Est. Net Cost: $35,621
Avg. Merit Aid: $25,333
SAT Midpoint: 1305
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