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by Brian Knestout

Watching tuitions creep inexorably higher is a little like being in a rowboat with a slow leak -- how long can you wait before your hopes are sunk? That said, a handful of colleges don't have a hole in the boat. That's because they don't charge a nickel of tuition, thanks in most part to generous endowments that foot the bills.

Two no-tuition schools make it into the Kiplinger 100, based both on quality and that nonexistent tuition. Sixth-ranked Webb Institute in Glen Cove, N.Y., (right on Long Island Sound) is smaller than most high schools, with only 67 undergraduates. Webb offers only one major: naval architecture and marine engineering. But students who enroll are guaranteed a full-tuition scholarship, so they pay only for room, board, books and necessary supplies. The school pulls in extremely bright students -- every Webb student scored above 600 on both the verbal and math portions of the SAT. Webb requires students to take humanities courses, and undergrads also work in paid internships in the shipbuilding industry for two months each winter.

With a little more than 900 students, number 25 Cooper Union, in New York City, isn't a giant either. Cooper Union offers degrees in art, architecture and engineering. The school is notoriously difficult to get in to, accepting only 14% of applicants. Engineering is the largest of Cooper Union's three divisions. About half of those who complete engineering programs continue on to graduate school. Art majors follow an interdisciplinary approach. They aren't required to major or minor in any specific field, and about two-thirds of courses take place in a studio. Architecture majors enroll in a five-year program leading to a professional degree -- one reason why the school's four-year graduation rate, at 57%, is the lowest among our top 50 schools.

Tuition-free schools that don't make the top 100 include College of the Ozarks, in Point Lookout, Mo. (down the road from Branson), which describes itself as "Hard Work U." It draws students primarily from rural Missouri, Arkansas and neighboring states, and restricts enrollment to students with limited means. A college-age teen from a family of four, whose parents have an adjusted gross income of more than about $47,000 a year, won't likely be accepted. The school requires students to work 15 hours a week in a work-study job in addition to taking classes. But students who can bear that burden graduate with very low debt -- about $6,000 on average for room, board and books.

Two small colleges in Kentucky -- Berea College in Berea and Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes -- follow a similar track. Berea limits enrollment to low-income students and requires all students to work at least ten hours a week in addition to classes. Enrollment isn't means-tested at Alice Lloyd, but students are required to work at least ten hours a week.

Two other schools with specialized curricula also charge no tuition. Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Ill., offers students bachelor's degrees in Christian ministry (including a bachelor of science in missionary aviation, which includes flight training). The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pa., is the only major conservatory that covers tuition for all students seeking music degrees.