In the Midwest for $25k or less, check out the non-flagship schools of the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois state systems. I am especially acquainted with the UW system. I’ll give you their mascots, colors and location to get the ball rolling with familiarity:
UW-Eau Claire Blugolds
- Navy blue & old gold
- Western Wisc near Twin Cities
UW-Green Bay Phoenix
- Green, white & red
- Eastern Wisc on Lake Michigan
UW-La Crosse Eagles
- Maroon & gray
- SW Wisc on Mississippi River
UW-Milwaukee Panthers
- Black & gold
- SE Wisc on Lake Michigan
UW-Oshkosh Titans
- Black & gold
- Eastern Wisc, Fox River Valley
UW-Parkside Rangers
- Green & black
- Suburban Milwaukee
UW-Platteville Pioneers
- Blue & orange
- SW Wisc
UW-River Falls Falcons
- Red & white
- Western Wisc near Twin Cities
UW-Stevens Point Pointers
- Purple & gold
- Central Wisc
UW-Stout Blue Devils
- Navy blue & white
- Western Wisc near Twin Cities
UW-Superior Yellowjackets
- Black & gold
- NW Wisc, near Lake Superior & Duluth
UW-Whitewater Warhawks
- Purple & white
- Southern Wisc, near Madison & Milwaukee
The U of Minnesota school i’m most familiar with is Minnesota-Morris, which is the University of Minnesota’s LAC.