<p>As always, Drusba is so much help and it’s great to have him on this board. I want to add another couple of things. First off, I do not agree that Purdue is very generous with OOS aid. My son only got the amount for National merit Finalist, although I was expecting the trustee scholarship. He actually received a whole lot more merit aid from In state Illinois(which is not known for giving merit aid for In state students.). Purdue has a funky way of calculating their trustee scholarship. That being said, it is not that expensive for oos comparatively.</p>
<p>Drusba didn’t mention that the larger publics on the list are big research institutions which may (or may not) take away from teaching undergrads, but there are big plusses to going to a school which is a research institution. Son is doing impressive research as a freshman: working with a professor and PHD candidates on tissue engineering. He has learned more from this experience than he ever could in a classroom.</p>
<p>And although it is true that tuition may hike this year at UIUC, it is then guaranteed to stay at that rate for the next 4 years, which will definitely not be the case for other 4 schools on OP’s list.</p>