<p>We faced similar situation when my son was headed to college in 2008. The final choice was between ASU with a very good NMF scholarhip and Rice with a $20,000 per year merit scholarship. No other financial aid was available. The cost difference between the two schools was about $25,000 per year. We told our son that he can pick either school with our full financial support. If he picked ASU we will put the difference ($25,000) in his bank account each year. He did give some thought and pick ASU at the end.</p>