Stanford gave my D terrific financial aid - their need based calculation came out better for us than Yale - and they included a realistic cost of transportation from MA to CA in their budget.
And believe me, I understand how hard it was for her to get into Stanford. The point is to not rule it out because of travel/airfare.
Pomona accepted my son three years ago, and even though he is at Columbia, their financial aid also included air transportation in their expected budget.
It will be tough for us to go visit her at Stanford, but she will be happy there.