Ashton …sit down with your parents and get a number that they can contribute each year for 4 years, and then add the $5500 loan if necessary. This will give you an idea as to how much money you need- right now you are not quite sure. You also have to listen to what thumper said- research schools that give guaranteed merit for your stats. Once you have a few of those… then you can decide which other schools to apply to.