<p>OP, It’s to your credit that you are trying to look for schools that will be more affordable now rather than waiting until later. As far as the “verge of divorce and not sending money” those won’t be taken into account until something actually happens. If you are looking for larger schools then then you’ll need to try to get your grades and scores as high as possible. The usual large Us that offer the best merit aid are Arizona, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.</p>