<p>I think you should look at other threads to understand how the Financial Aid process works. First, most schools will not give you full costs, they give a mixture of grants, scholarships, work study and loans. There may a gap in what they give and what the cost of attendance at that school is and that is expected to come from parental contributions. Very few schools will give you full scholarships/grants. So a lot depends upon your profile (grades, SAT scores, state of residence, your EC’s etc.) and your financial situation for a school to make an offer. Some of the colleges on your list are pretty stingy when it comes to FA. NYU for example is not known to give much aid.</p>
<p>So my suggestion is first look at your profile and see what schools you have a good shot at and then look at the ones that you are interested and ask around if they give good aid. Do not forget to have a few financial safeties like your state schools that may cost a lot less and provide scholarships.</p>