Try the Net Price Calculators on the college web sites. You may be surprised at the gap you have between what you can afford and what you are likely to get in aid (sorry to say this!). And these NPCs tend to be pretty accurate.
The more outside your ‘comfort zone’, the more you escape the hyper-competitiveness of college applications in the Northeast. If you are willing to go a little South or out towards the middle of the country, you may be rewarded with scholarships.
Similarly, a college or university in the Northeast that is not in the top 40 would also reward you with merit aid. (I’m thinking of Clark University, or Goucher in the Northeast).You could always join an honors program at a larger public school as well, to get a cheaper education.
The College Solution is an older book but its author, Lynn O’Shaughnessy, has published many blog articles about making college affordable.
Don’t discount the schools that may not have made it onto your list the first time. The best school to attend is one with the majors you want, great faculty in the areas you like, a great community for you, and, most of all, is one you can afford.
I would recommend exploring a few places (from small school to big campus) so you know what feels right to you. Visit a campus, talk to the admissions office, and see if you can sit in on a class, meet a faculty member or a student, besides doing the campus tour. If you can’t travel far, try a small, a medium, or larger-sized campus near you.
CollegeXpress, Princeton Review, College Data, Niche web sites are useful for measures of what students appreciate in their schools (majors, student lifestyles, faculty-student ratio, campus life, etc.)
Net Price Calculator (to gauge price against EFC, etc.), Prepscholar (for grade/test score ‘chance me’ functions for schools), College Results for diversity on campus, College Navigator for how many students actually graduate in a major in a year, can all be helpful.
Familiarize yourself with the potential price now so that you can have a conversation with your family about what is realistic. Schools that provide aid only will use your EFC as a guide; schools that provide merit scholarships can do a lot to bring that still-hefty price down!
Sorry if I am ‘momming’ here. I wish you the best of luck!