<p>Absolutely not. It CAN happen, but most of the time, for most people, the state schools are the best prices. I know for all but one kid, it was the case. In state with a small scholarship was tough to beat. My one son did get a full tuition award at a local private that made it the least expensive option, even less that community college if he commuted to that school. </p>
<p>As of a week ago, one of my SIL’s nieces was looking at instate flag which is PSU vs OOS non flagship with a small merit award and private that gave hefty financial aid. The family is right at the point where the EFC is very close to the state school cost, so all three options were within a few thousand dollars of each other. The dad was shaking his head, saying one can’t win for losing, that the system has you every which way, and so it does seem in this case. The only way to beat the EFC cost by anything significantly would have been to commute to a public college, one of the directional state schools or community college, or have gotten significantly more merit than the financial aid award she got at the private. Since merit and aid are integrated, it’s pretty dang hard to beat the EFC if the kid is to go away to school. I think a smaller state school, like WestChester or Clarion would have been the least expensive for a sleep away college, or possible a non main Penn State campus, though I don’t know the pricing structures for sure. But the three top choices are close in price.</p>