California blows every state out of the water with its expenditure on scholarships and grants for needy students. It's the only state to dole out more than a billion dollars, and the amount of aid it provides per student is more than double that of fifth-ranked Kentucky and beyond.

Rank	State	Average amount of need-based aid per student	Total state disbursement
1	California	$5,178.83	$2,001,471,599
2	New Jersey	$4,286.37	$313,638,198
3	Washington	$3,481.75	$197,602,972
4	South Carolina	$3,238.34	$130,223,398
5	Kentucky	$2,563.52	$115,791,556
6	Wyoming	$2,517.41	$6,467,227
7	Minnesota	$2,511.33	$134,328,746
8	Indiana	$2,445.49	$192,643,236
9	Tennessee	$2,400.22	$152,207,851
10	Illinois	$2,399.32	$271,333,765
11	Louisiana	$2,288.72	$72,456,263
12	Texas	$2,237.57	$503,690,453
13	New York	$2,138.85	$375,513,559
14	Alaska	$2,021.95	$8,803,573
15	Virginia	$1,970.93	$172,135,262
16	Oklahoma	$1,961.79	$63,599,322
17	Georgia	$1,952.57	$163,146,999
18	North Carolina	$1,882.70	$180,835,495
19	Maryland	$1,751.42	$68,576,893
20	Pennsylvania	$1,734.87	$278,671,964
21	Nevada	$1,707.82	$25,842,748
22	Wisconsin	$1,658.65	$94,061,937
23	New Mexico	$1,647.60	$12,923,763
24	West Virginia	$1,570.23	$31,151,853
25	Colorado	$1,554.79	$69,146,219

Instant Insights /

These 25 states provide the most need-based financial aid. Why it matters to your school

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