There is a big difference between “not being eligible for financial aid” and your family being willing and able to pay $300K+ for schools. I think you should first talk to your parents and see if they will help you run the NPC for some of the colleges you are considering. If the amount seems totally unreasonable to them, you need to see what they are comfortable with. That will tell you how much merit or scholarship money you have to get to make it affordable. Any school where you require the maximum scholarship amount in order to make it affordable becomes a reach, if that award is highly competitive. The thing to keep in mind is the only thing worse than a rejection is an acceptance that is way out of reach financially.
Some of the most expensive schools are also the ones that tend to be the most generous with financial aid and you may be surprised.