The US Colleges That Are The Best At Getting Government Funding And Are Secure For The Future

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is reliant on federal funding. 247 Wall St states that in 2015, the college had the third highest amount of federal money awarded of any college in America, at $756 million. However, worries that this money could be in jeopardy have been alleviated recently. While Michigan State only saw a 0.3% increase in state student funding in 2017, according to Time Money, the state legislature recently approved a $320.8 million increase for University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Even if the federal funding is removed, this state funding should be able to pick up the shortfall. However, there are undoubtedly areas for the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor to work on. For instance, its number of Pell Grant recipient students is low.

Thanks to a close relationship with the Department of Defense, Georgia Institute of Technology's future government funding prospects are incredibly strong. In the 2019 budget, the Department of Defense is projected to be given a 13% increase. 247 Wall St reports that in 2015, the college was able to gain $562.6 million in federal funding. To date, the college has had one incident of fraud conducted by three former Georgia Tech employees. The college also had to deal with criticism with the amount of government money it spent on recreational activities. These revelations alone are unlikely to affect the college's relationship with the government, however.

This college is managing to defy both national and state government's funding trends. While Indiana's college student funding decreased by 1% in 2017, and the federal government is cutting back on its departmental spending, Notre Dame continues to gain record-breaking levels of money. In 2017, it managed to gain approximately $79 million in research funding from the government. It is also free of instances of funding fraud or misconduct. Lastly, it shares the 25th place for most Pell Grant students of any of US News's top national universities.

2016 saw a significant increase in Wellesley College's government grant awards. Its funding almost doubled from $3.9 million to $6 million. While this figure then decreased to $4.5 million in 2017, the overall trend for the college's funding over the last decade is for increasing sums. It also sees the joint fifth highest number of Pell Grant recipient students among US News's top liberal arts colleges. Lastly, the college has no history of funding misconduct or fraud, meaning that its overall funding amounts should continue to increase.

If this article were a simple measure of schools that get the most government funding, then Amherst College wouldn't appear. Its latest annual report reveals that it received only $1.5 million in government funding in 2016. But as Amherst is a small liberal arts college, that money is impressive. This is even truer when compared to its government funding for previous years. In 2015, its funding was $1 million. And in 2014, it had an even smaller government funding amount of $773,000. These strong yearly increases combined with the fact that Amherst College is completely free of financial misconduct to mean that it should continue to increase funding amounts in future years. If this weren't impressive enough, it also has the second most students receiving Pell Grants among US News's top liberal arts colleges.

This college saw a significant increase in federal funding from 2015 to 2016. 247 Wall St reports that in 2015, it managed to gain $505.3 million. But in 2016, this sum increased to $788 million. However, many are worried that the college could lose funding. Matters have been made worse by the 2017 revelation that a University of Minnesota professor had been charged for fraud (although this did not involve college money). So far, the college has been able to continue with its strong record of college funding and recently gained $42 million for biomedical research.

This small liberal arts college has maintained consistent government funding in the face of federal cuts. The college's 2017 to 2018 budget reveals that it received $2.1 million in government grants. This is a slight decrease from the $2.3 million it was awarded in 2017. But on the whole, this college's future funding prospects look strong. Its home state of Pennsylvania increased student funding support by 3% in 2017, according to Time Money. Additionally, it has no fraud or misconduct history. Lastly, it gets the ninth most Pell Grant recipient students among US News's top liberal arts colleges.

This is one of several colleges in America that have decided to secure more funding at the state level, due to the threat of federal cuts. The college's funding from the state of Pennsylvania will be $327.4 million for 2018 to 2019. 247 Wall St notes that Pennsylvania State University managed to gain $599.8 million in federal funding in 2015, the 8th most of any college in America. To date, there has been one instance of grant fraud in PSU's history. This appears to have been the actions of a single professor and has not affected the college significantly in the years since its occurrence.

Apart from one funding incident with an individual professor in 2005, MIT has a clean record for fraud and misconduct. Even that one incident saw the college's management dismiss the professor promptly, ensuring that their overall financial reputation remains strong. 247 Wall St reports that in 2015, the college's total federal funds were $491.4 million. Since the Trump Administration came to power, MIT has been forming strategies to ensure that its funding continues. Luckily, the Department of Defense, the college's key source of support, has increased its budget. Additionally, MIT's Vice President for Research, Maria Zuber, has extensive experience with the scientific advisory world of Washington DC, giving the college an edge. MIT's 2018 Report of the Treasurer indicates that the college is succeeding in maintaining its government funding.

There is good news for the direction of government funding at Vanderbilt University. The college's latest financial report shows that government sponsorship money increased from $148 million in 2016 to $155 million in 2017. The college also ranks in US News's list of the top 25 colleges where students receive the most Pell Grants. Tennessee, Vanderbilt University's state, was also the state with the joint 10th highest increase in student funding in 2017, according to Time Money. The two financial issues that have affected the college to date are unlikely to change its federal or state funding levels. One is a lawsuit about mismanaged retirement money, and the other is about one of its hospitals violating Medicare billing regulations.

Haverford College received only a small increase in government grants in 2017 compared to 2016. However, an increase is still impressive considering the shrinking opportunities available. In 2016, its total funding from the government in grants and contracts amounted to $1.26 million. In 2017, this increased to $1.31 million. This is a promising indicator of consistency, along with its growing state student support in Pennsylvania. Additionally, it receives the joint 10th largest percentage of Pell Grant students of US News's top liberal arts colleges.

Despite being in Iowa, a state that cut 3% of its spending on students in 2017 according to Time Money, Grinnell College is getting more and more government funding. In the financial year of 2015 to 2016, its total government grants and contracts amounted to just above $800,000. But in the financial year of 2016 to 2017, these grants and contracts had increased to $1.1 million. While that's a comparatively small amount, the college does benefit from being scandal-free in its use of government funding. That means that the dollar amount is likely to increase, even if state and government funding is tightening overall. Additionally, Grinnell College is taking on the joint fifth most Pell Grant students among US News's top liberal arts colleges.

Despite being a very urban, New York City-based college, Columbia University has still made USDA's list of top federal fund receiving colleges. It also ranks at seventh on 247 Wall St's most government funds received list, gaining $599.9 million in 2015. If that weren't enough, then it also gains the joint fifth most Pell Grant money from US News's top American national universities, at 17%. As for the college's state support, New York saw the 13th largest increase among US states in spending per student in 2017. One thing that does detract from Columbia University is that it has previous instances and current accusations of fraud. However, the college continues to gain funding on a regular basis despite this.

For 2019, University of Pittsburgh has confirmed a 3% increase in support from the state of Pennsylvania. This will definitely help mitigate the potential effects of federal grant reductions. In 2015, the college was able to gain $580 million in federal funds, the 10th highest sum of any educational institution in America, according to 247 Wall St. To date, the college has had to overcome one government funding fraud case, which was for $2 million. However, this incident does not appear to have derailed the college's ability to gain grant funding. For instance, in August and September 2018, the college secured grants of $3.8 million and $3 million, which both came from government sources.

Though its government funding is tiny compared to some colleges on this list, the money goes a long way. This is because the enrollment at Claremont Mckenna College is only 1,300 students approximately. And financial reports going back to 2007 show that it consistently manages to gain around $1 million in federal funding per year. Its most recent report states that in 2017, it managed to gain $1.2 million. This data and the fact that the college has no financial scandals indicate that the college will be able to maintain its funding for many years.

University of Wisconsin, Madison is in a fortunate position, funding-wise. Yahoo Finance states that the majority of the college's government funding comes from The Department of Health and Human Services. This is one of the few departments that is seeing an increase in the government's 2019 budget, with an 11% overall increase. And while the University of Wisconsin, Madison's government funding has fluctuated somewhat, with $594 million in 2011 but $551.4 million in 2015, it is on an overall upward trend. In fact, the latest budget for the college reveals that its federal funding is currently $890 million. To date, the college has had one incident of funding misconduct from a single professor, dating to 2010, which may explain the dip in government funding between 2011 to 2015. But such an incident has not occurred since.

Rice University is aiming to make a swift improvement of its federal funding efforts. In 2018, it outlined a plan to increase its research funding in all areas after the Trump Administration's tax laws impacted its finances. This is an ambitious aim, but if it works, it will build upon the college's current success. Rice University's latest financial statement reveals that in 2017, it received a total of $102 million from the government, which was an increase on 2016's $97 million. While that may be a lower sum than many of the other national universities on this list, it is promising to see an increase. This is especially true, as in 2017 the college had to deal with its only funding misconduct issue. However, this was the result of a single professor's actions, who has since left the institution.

Like several other colleges on this list, Duke benefits from getting the majority of its federal funding from government departments with growing budgets. This should safeguard its finances for years to come. This is fortunate, as Time Money notes that the college's home state, North Carolina, has not increased its student funding in the last year (although it has not decreased either). Yahoo Finance states that the college's federal funding in 2011 was $585 million. By 2017, its annual federal funding had increased to $596 million. US News reveals that it takes on the 19th most Pell Grant students of what the source considers to be its top national universities. However, the college ranks lower on our list due to several instances of funding misconduct leading the National Institutes of Health to impose stricter application requirements on the college.

While Dartmouth's funding experienced a 6% decrease in the fiscal year of 2017, it's likely to gain large amounts of funding in the long term. Last year, it still managed to gain over $200 million in government money. This is good for the college when you consider that its state, New Hampshire, saw one of the biggest reductions in America in the amount of funding that it gives to students in 2017, according to Time Money. However, Dartmouth can rely on future federal funding, due to the college's lack of fraud or misconduct. Additionally, its report on federal funding reveals that it currently gains funding from a wide range of government departments, which should allow it to successfully adapt to government budget changes.

A decade ago, Yale University had to deal with one incident of government funding misconduct. Since then, the college has been able to rebuild its reputation with the United States government. In fact, 247 Wall St notes that it was awarded the 20th most federal funds of any college, at $480 million, in 2015. Since this time, Yale hasn't released any further information upon the total extent of its government funding. On a local level, it is not in a great position, as Time Money reports that its state, Connecticut, saw the largest decrease in America in spending on students in 2017. But there are many indications that Yale still has the favor of many federal government entities. For example, the National Institute of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration recently renewed a $20 million grant for tobacco research. It also has a strong number of Pell Grant students, according to US News.