NO, NO, NO. As others have said above, the “sticker price” often has nothing to do with the drive out price, as you well know Miami, since your dau won a merit scholarship. I always advise my clients to not rule out a school because of the sticker price, but to carefully explore the potential institutional merit awards, apply for as many as they qualify for and wait on decisions until the results are in. One of my clients just got a full tuition scholarship plus additional merit money from their first choice school, which, prior to that award, was the most expensive on their list. So yes, do your research (or more accurately, have your CHILD own the process and do the research- this is not the parents role), and be careful what advice you follow from reading on the internet, as clearly there can be some bad advice being offered.