Applying 400+ miles away from home means you boost the college’s geographical diversity (important for ‘national’ colleges) and thus often results in a boost in admission and ‘preferential packaging’ wrt financial aid.
Run the NPC/look at merit awards from St Olaf, Concordia Moorhead, Luther, Butler, Bradley, St Thomas (twin cities), St John’s/DT Benedict, Beloit, Lawrence, DePauw, Carthage, Creighton.
Note that a smaller college doesn’t just have the benefit of being well-known as a student, but also offers interactive classes v. large lectures.