Presumably you are attending college to get an education so the quality of that education should be your number one concern with the affordability of the school being a close second. If you are looking for research opportunities that are meaningful and are worried about research programs that ignore or take advantage of UG students maybe look at some LACs. I attended a small LAC that had a strong focus on research. With only UG students and a small student body, professors worked as peers with students and published with their UG assistants.
That being said, be honest with yourself. If academics aren’t going to be your number one concern than look to other factors first.