Some thoughts based on experience. YMMV.
@tpike12,
That $3500 stipend essentially covered most of the freshman meal plan for us this year. Really, the only thing not covered was course or college fees.
Not counting travel, our OOP was almost 0… but everyone should do as detailed an analysis as possible for themselves. And yes, traveling nearly 2000 miles, like us, is a big deal.
I am not a paid accountant, and the new tax laws are not beneficial to recipients of large scholarships, but anecdotally I think the concerns are very over stated when all is said and done in this area.
Since it was mentioned upthread, last year when we did the OU vs UA comparison, it was not even close. Almost a 15K per year difference in real dollars if I recall correctly.
Since this is an NMF specific thread, and many NMFs will have significant AP type credits, also evaluate the cost savings (if any) that they might provide. UA is generous with AP credits.