From my decisions this year,
Tulane, GW, Fordham and Drexel would be good ones to apply to if you want merit aid. You are an above average applicant for them & could likely get a lot of $$.
Generally private schools have more aid than public schools imo. So Duke, Vandy, and BC all sound like good choices to apply (I was not accepted to any of those so idk how good it’d be).
I’d also try using RaiseMe. I recieved a few thousand at some schools solely through using that app.
If you will NEED $$ to afford college, likely your financial status could qualify you for need-based (which top schools like Duke or say Princeton are generally generous with).
Even if you don’t get FULL from the university itself, apply to outside scholarships. With your credentials, you’ll be a top applicant likely for them.
Should you fall in that “middle” category of not qualifying for need, but “needing” $$, I can relate. My recommendation is to apply to a good # of safeties & at least one instate public school. Do not apply OOS to public schools, generally they won’t give you anything. Exceptions are schools like Pitt that may give you merit & aren’t terrible OOS.
Truthfully it’s impossible to predict. I got more merit money at Tulane, which is considered the “highest rank” school I was accepted to, than some lower tier schools (UMiami for example). It really depends. I’d make it a priority to contact your admissions rep in the fall for each school & share how you’d like to know about any and all merit awards. Vanderbilt, for example, has 3 awards that require additional early applications. I’d consider reading up on those.
With regards to Duke, it’s best to talk to current students like the one above