@catkinson20 , several of my kids had the Fordham vs State U choice. Two of them had most/all of tuition covered, one would have been full pay. The one who was full paid could have gone away to a SUNY for far less than what Fordham’s tuition Was. He chose to go to an OOS public university instead which cost about. What commuting to Fordham would have cost. Living expenses can be way up there at some schools these days. You can’t save a whole lot living off campus around Fordham but the student community near his college of choice had cheap digs and COL just generally less with good Part time work possibilities around campus which sweetened the deal somewhat.
All of these factors can come into play when assessing the full cost of schools.