Match me please (especially for early round/ED!) (AL resident, 4.0 u/w, 36 ACT, applying as econ/polsci) [<$18k, prefer <$10k]

The first part of the list that we need to focus on are the sure things. The ones that are extremely likely to accept you, be affordable, and that you would be happy to enroll in and attend for four years. You need at least one, and preferably at least two, on your college list.

I’d get very familiar with the schools on this thread. Many of them are larger than you want, but nearly all of the “too big” schools will have honors colleges that are the size that you want. So you get the variety and advantages of a big school, but with the advantages of a smaller school.

One school that would give you a full ride and meets your size preferences (8800 undergrads) is U. of Idaho. But it’s in a more remote location and in the western half of the U.S.

U. of Houston is way larger than you want, but it’s in the eastern half of the U.S. and NMF would cover tuition & fees, leaving about $11k for room & board. There are about 38k undergrads here. Houston is a major airline hub, so frequent and inexpensive flights should be available to get home.

U. of Texas - Dallas reportedly has a more academic vibe and has about 22k undergrads. National Merit finalists receive free tuition & fees plus $3k/year for on-campus housing plus $8k/year stipend plus other bonuses for study abroad and summer research. Dallas is a major airline hub, so frequent and inexpensive flights should be available to get home.

Oklahoma State: NMF covers tuition, $6500/year toward housing, about another $4k/year in stipends, and an additional $3k for the first year. Essentially, this comes very close to a full ride. Stillwater has gotten props as a good college town and it’s about one hour from both Oklahoma City and Tulsa. There are about 21k undergrads here and I’d call this pretty much the center of the country in terms of east/west.

I’d research these and see if any of them appeal to you. Look into their honors colleges, opportunities for NMF students, extracurriculars, living learning communities, etc. Going to college for free, or nearly so, is an amazing opportunity, and free or nearly so fits within your budget!

Once you find some sure things that you like (and I’ll continue to look for you as well), then you can find additional schools that aren’t guaranteed options, but for which you have a shot.