Thomas Edison State University, which had the lowest percentage of undergraduate students receiving grant aid in 2015-16, enrolled relatively few full-time undergraduates. Most of its undergraduates were 25 or older, and were enrolled exclusively in distance education. By contrast, undergraduates at the next college on the list, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, were almost all under 25 and enrolled full time, with no students enrolled exclusively in distance education. The federal government covers tuition, room and board, and books at the academy, leaving relatively few costs to students, but undergraduates might seek aid for activity and licensing fees, supplies like computers, and other costs. Five of the eight University of Wisconsin campuses that appear on this list exceed the median for percentage of students who were awarded federal student loans in 2015-16.
| 1. | Thomas Edison State U. | 12,283 | 89.8% | 10.2% | $2,512 | 12.3% | $6,727 | $6,135 |
| 2. | U.S. Merchant Marine Academy | 904 | 88.3% | 7.6% | $4,438 | 12.3% | $4,002 | $1,107 |
| 3. | Southwest Minnesota State U. | 6,868 | 74.5% | 12.3% | $3,721 | 21.4% | $6,344 | $8,336 |
| 4. | City U. of New York Graduate Center and other CUNY entities* | 1,795 | 74.1% | 24.3% | $3,381 | 17.4% | $6,673 | $6,760 |
| 5. | U. of Alaska-Southeast | 2,475 | 69.7% | 17.7% | $3,529 | 18.1% | $7,164 | $7,112 |
| 6. | Colorado State U. Global Campus | 6,828 | 67.7% | 31.2% | $3,473 | 53.2% | $7,355 | $8,400 |
| 7. | James Madison U. | 19,396 | 65.3% | 14.4% | $4,076 | 38.2% | $6,332 | $10,018 |
| 8. | U. of Wisconsin at Oshkosh | 12,702 | 63.0% | 23.7% | $3,961 | 47.9% | $6,352 | $7,487 |
| 9. | Weber State U. | 25,318 | 62.6% | 25.4% | $3,698 | 22.2% | $6,849 | $5,321 |
| 10. | Northern State U. | 2,991 | 61.0% | 18.3% | $3,998 | 34.2% | $6,423 | $7,887 |
| 11. | U. of Minnesota at Crookston | 2,823 | 60.3% | 20.1% | $4,475 | 37.7% | $7,155 | $11,646 |
| 12. | College of New Jersey | 6,758 | 60.2% | 17.2% | $4,318 | 52.0% | $6,562 | $15,466 |
| 13. | U. of Virginia | 16,736 | 60.0% | 12.1% | $4,307 | 25.4% | $6,332 | $14,295 |
| 14. | U. of Colorado at Denver | 14,036 | 59.9% | 26.8% | $3,965 | 32.5% | $7,240 | $8,692 |
| 15. | Fashion Institute of Technology | 9,386 | 59.5% | 26.4% | $4,456 | 34.6% | $6,789 | $7,200 |
| 16. | U. of Wisconsin at Madison | 30,991 | 59.2% | 13.5% | $4,025 | 33.7% | $6,676 | $10,415 |
| 17. | Dakota State U. | 2,820 | 58.8% | 24.9% | $3,653 | 47.0% | $6,757 | $7,974 |
| 18. | U. of Alaska at Anchorage | 15,917 | 58.2% | 22.0% | $3,538 | 23.0% | $6,749 | $6,802 |
| 19. | Ramapo College of New Jersey | 5,661 | 58.1% | 24.6% | $4,352 | 54.9% | $6,899 | $13,698 |
| 20. | U. of Wisconsin-Stout | 8,407 | 57.9% | 27.4% | $3,795 | 60.5% | $6,498 | $9,203 |
| 21. | West Chester U. of Pennsylvania | 14,212 | 57.9% | 25.2% | $4,096 | 62.9% | $6,571 | $9,462 |
| 22. | Fort Hays State U. | 11,831 | 57.3% | 28.2% | $3,797 | 40.3% | $6,902 | $4,654 |
| 23. | U. of Texas of the Permian Basin | 5,233 | 57.2% | 26.1% | $4,134 | 25.2% | $6,167 | $5,250 |
| 24. | U. of Wisconsin at Whitewater | 11,151 | 57.2% | 28.1% | $4,043 | 60.3% | $6,578 | $7,637 |
| 25. | Oregon Institute of Technology | 4,721 | 57.2% | 28.0% | $4,241 | 38.9% | $7,688 | $8,838 |
| 26. | U. of Alaska at Fairbanks | 7,533 | 57.1% | 20.7% | $3,561 | 22.6% | $6,898 | $6,982 |
| 27. | Rowan U. | 13,169 | 57.0% | 31.0% | $4,394 | 59.5% | $6,943 | $12,864 |
| 28. | U. of Wisconsin at La Crosse | 9,706 | 56.8% | 20.3% | $3,917 | 55.9% | $6,060 | $8,832 |
| 29. | U. of New Hampshire at Manchester | 733 | 56.2% | 24.3% | $4,073 | 49.1% | $7,090 | $14,143 |
| 30. | U. of Wisconsin at Green Bay | 6,533 | 56.1% | 28.0% | $3,816 | 49.2% | $6,636 | $7,824 |
| 31. | Montana State U. at Bozeman | 13,633 | 55.9% | 24.8% | $4,222 | 42.4% | $6,953 | $6,849 |
| 32. | U. of Missouri at St. Louis | 13,545 | 55.8% | 26.9% | $4,460 | 36.5% | $7,576 | $10,065 |
| 33. | U. of Washington | 31,062 | 55.6% | 22.1% | $4,352 | 28.6% | $6,383 | $11,839 |
| 34. | U. of Maine at Fort Kent | 1,559 | 55.0% | 27.8% | $3,751 | 35.5% | $6,584 | $7,575 |
| 35. | State U. of New York College at Farmingdale | 8,648 | 54.8% | 29.3% | $4,202 | 30.9% | $6,292 | $7,808 |
| 36. | U. of Wisconsin at Platteville | 7,978 | 54.8% | 25.3% | $3,829 | 58.3% | $6,177 | $7,488 |
| 37. | Governors State U. | 3,570 | 54.6% | 34.2% | $4,967 | 73.7% | $11,306 | $10,246 |
| 38. | Appalachian State U. | 16,290 | 54.4% | 28.7% | $4,098 | 47.2% | $6,182 | $6,852 |
| 39. | U. of Colorado at Boulder | 27,142 | 54.4% | 16.4% | $4,200 | 29.8% | $6,470 | $11,091 |
| 40. | Indiana U.-Northwest | 5,486 | 54.3% | 31.7% | $4,472 | 39.0% | $6,726 | $6,963 |
| 41. | George Mason U. | 23,066 | 54.1% | 27.3% | $4,169 | 44.0% | $6,971 | $10,952 |
| 42. | U. of North Texas | 30,533 | 53.9% | 35.7% | $4,137 | 54.9% | $5,823 | $9,730 |
| 43. | Charter Oak State College | 1,735 | 53.8% | 31.1% | $3,046 | 38.5% | $8,306 | $7,359 |
| 44. | U. of Maryland University College | 37,355 | 53.5% | 27.2% | $2,990 | 24.4% | $8,090 | $7,056 |
| 45. | Black Hills State U. | 3,896 | 53.3% | 30.0% | $4,099 | 48.1% | $6,517 | $8,004 |
| 46. | Boise State U. | 19,122 | 53.1% | 30.4% | $3,945 | 40.9% | $6,899 | $6,876 |
| 47. | College of William & Mary | 6,214 | 53.0% | 11.4% | $4,273 | 26.9% | $6,270 | $16,919 |
| 48. | Metropolitan State U. of Denver | 20,186 | 52.9% | 35.1% | $3,662 | 45.3% | $6,943 | $6,420 |
| 49. | U. of Wisconsin at River Falls | 5,503 | 52.7% | 29.5% | $3,924 | 59.9% | $6,327 | $7,937 |
| 50. | Radford U. | 8,880 | 52.6% | 31.1% | $4,333 | 62.7% | $6,520 | $9,809 |
| | Median for 547 public institutions | 8,008 | 35.9% | 35.8% | $4,219 | 50.7% | $6,740 | $8,034 |
* The figures for the City University of New York Graduate Center include enrollment and other data for four administratively linked programs: the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (including the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies), the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, and Macaulay Honors College.
Note: Only doctoral, master’s, and baccalaureate four-year public colleges were included in the analysis. Four-year colleges classified as baccalaureate/associate institutions by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education were excluded. All data are for the 2015-16 academic year. The number of undergraduates in the financial-aid cohort includes both full- and part-time students enrolled in the fall of 2015. The amount of tuition and required fees are the published amounts for full-time in-district or in-state undergraduates for the 2015-16 academic year. The costs of books and room and board are excluded. Grant aid includes all such aid for undergraduates that came from federal, state, local, institutional, or other sources. Pell Grant aid is federal aid that supports students from the neediest families. Percentages are rounded, but institutions were ranked before rounding. Questions or comments on the Chronicle List should be sent to Ruth Hammond.
Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data</small></p>