$300k for LAC or ....$75k for State Flagship or Merit at Private/OOS Public

One more suggestion is to think outside the box. By far the best value for money school on S18’s list was Oxford (~$140K for a 3 year degree at current exchange rates). Unfortunately he didn’t get in. But many people choose UK schools (such as St Andrews) for their combination of strong academics and relatively modest costs, if you know what you want to study.