Does Berea use PROFILE or just FAFSA?
Yes, mindset is important. Just throwing out some options here. OP is saying With NCP EFC added together to custodial parent’s comes to $15/20k. That is conservative since NCP financials are treated a bit differently than just adding the two EFCs together. Until you actually do these things, impossible to tell how this is going to be handled.
For whatever reasons, OP indicates UM-CP and UMBC as good affordable options. If that’s the case, those are the schools to “best” in terms of what the student wants.