<p>Binghamton is a great school and has really been picking up a lot of applicants in the last few years. A great deal as are any of the SUNYs and CUNYs for NY state residents. But is it worth it for someone from NJ? Do the numbers, but bear in mind that getting any merit from Bing is not likely, just about zilch chance for your DD, and they do not guarantee to meet 100% need and don’t. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect NYers are first in line for the aid. We do have a lot of need in our state. The way many OOS schools work, is that they will give merit money for the top picks OOS, but as far as financial aid, the pickings are slim. </p>
<p>I suggest talking to the school GC who can probably tell what schools have been “good” to grads from your DD’s high school in terms of merit/financial aid. </p>
<p>I’ve had very little luck, just a few instances, where instate public prices could be beat, and that is the case for most people I know. If you have a kid with high stats, and you have high need, or if your kid with high stats is looking for merit money, that’s when the nice packages usually come into play. For those kids whose stats put them under the top 25% in test scores for a school, getting a sizable merit award is usually a pipe dream.</p>