The net is definitely cast wide enough.
^^^
I don’t think it is when the net desired cost is $15k or less and the family has a high EFC.
Since you are from Illinois, you know about the state budget situation…
Echoing what tomuchquan said, UIUC is notorious for not giving out much merit aid. Psychology at UIUC is in College of LAS. Here is their 2016 LAS admitted middle 50% profile “… ACT Score: 27-32…”
What menloparkmom said about being in the upper 25% with stats to get merit aid.
Some private schools might give more merit money. I’m thinking like Millikin Univ, Elmhurst Coll, or Carroll Univ (in Wisconsin) etc.
I agree that the HBCU would be good to look at. She has listed a few Florida colleges, so she should look at FAMU. I’d also suggest Flagler, a small school in St. Augustine FL but which has a low tuition and several types of merit scholarships.
I think being black will help a lot at the Women’s colleges. Add Agnes Scott to her list.
I think the net could be cast a little wider too . . . check the OOS awards for Florida Atlantic University: http://www.fau.edu/admissions/scholarship-os.php . Note the Presidential award which is looking for at least a 29 ACT composite. NB: Scholarships at FAU are competitive and dependent on the overall applicant pool.
FAU is an up-and-coming, beautiful school in southeastern Florida. The Florida Board of Governors (surprisingly) ranked them #1 as the top-performing public university in the state this past year.
My son dual enrolled there because it was next door to where we lived (we recently moved though).
There is a vibrant minority community at FAU too, at least it seemed to me.
Best of all - south Florida winters are AMAZING! And FAU is 10 minutes from the ocean.
Just something to consider! 
@mom2collegekids How much further should we cast our net?
@twoinanddone and @MSHopeful She has no interest in HBCUs. We have talked about it and it’s a definite no. Agnes Scott was on our early list but I can’t remember why we took it off. May need to rethink it.
@SouthFloridaMom9 She has somehow got hooked on FL so it will definitely meet her location criteria.
Smart kid! 
Look at FSU too . . . and you may want to consider USF as well.
FAU used to have more of a commuter school reputation, but it’s changed quite a bit even since we moved to southern Florida 16 years ago.
My son got a very nice scholarship there but ended up going to UF. He’s more STEM oriented, and FAU has somewhat of a liberal arts and pre-professional ‘bent’ to it if that makes any sense (of course UF has plenty of that too). I loved the campus though. One negative is that the surrounding community (Boca Raton) is expensive. But we loved certain aspects of living there (the beach and the winters mainly!).
ETA: FAU is on a push to bring in higher stat students, too.
^^Love the Flagler suggestion from @twoinanddone as well.
“I think she focused on the average ACT scores and GPAs.”
If that is the case she may need to create a whole new list that looks for colleges where her stats are at or higher than the 75% of enrolled students. Average stats arent going to get colleges to offer her merit $$.
Colleges hand out merit $$ to students with TOP stats[ for their applicant pool] whom they REALLY want to enroll.
<<<<
How much further should we cast our net?
<<<
Of the schools that are on the list so far, which ones are you CERTAIN will only cost you $15k or less after ASSURED merit?
I don’t think we have any on the list that are absolutes.
If you really can only pay $15,000 a year…you need something on the list that comes close to being affordable for you.
<<<
I don’t think we have any on the list that are absolutes. [net cost of $15k or less].
<<<
I agree.
So, please cast a net that includes at least 2-3 schools that thru ASSURED merit for stats, your net cost will be $20k or less (assuming DD can take a $5500 student loan to supplement parents’ $15k)
@blossom, won’t work for this student, but National Merit kids at Texas Tech get 100% full ride for total COA - this includes a stipend for travel and personal expenses in addition to tuition fees, room board and books.
I will second FAU and mention that Eckerd is fairly expensive and their highest award will not get you to what you want to pay. We are in state where we could utilize state money set aside for private schools and even with substantial merit aid, it was still crazy. My kids could have gone to UM for less. FAU is def on the hunt for great committed students and they have a very nice honors campus in Jupiter, FL.
To the OP…answer this question…“what college on this list can we definitely send our kid to?”
If the answer is “none”… then your net is not wide enough.
^ Can being the operative word. Able to afford and junior won’t be dragged by the heels to the place.
Re: the women’s colleges:
These schools all cost about $65,000.
Wellesley and Barnard give no merit aid.
Bryn Mawr’s max merit aid is $30,000 which would still leave cost of $35,000 to pay.
Smith’s max merit aid is $25,000 + paid STRIDE research which still leaves about $37,000 to pay.
I believe Mount Holyoke may offer a few full tuition awards which may make it affordable, but qualifying candidates would need top stats combined with significant ECs, etc.
Merit aid awards can vary each year (Smith’s went up $5,000 during this last admissions cycle), so keep an eye on their websites. However, the likelihood that these schools would meet OP’s criteria of $15,000 or less with only merit would only be possible at Mount Holyoke, but unfortunately not with these stats.
Try Wheaton College in MA and University of Scranton in PA.
I agree you need a wider net as it doesn’t look like there are any financial safeties on your list. At Bama her current ACT that would still leave a net cost of 27K. If she can bump up the ACT 1-2, you might end up closer to 22 but know that tuition will increase over the 4 years so you’ll need to budget for that.
My S17 has slightly lower stats and we are in a similar boat hunting for merit and and a low COA. It is out there but still doesn’t quite bring it down to the level you (or I) would like. At present we only have 3 financial safeties and others that are higher. Current list includes the 3 financial safeties, one that might be a financial safety depending on the offer, 4 that would be doable but things would be a bit tight budget wise and then another 6 that would require a small parent loan in addition to the student loan. The range we are working with is 20K-38K but really the schools need to be at 32 or less to be doable and the lower the better. We will only do the loan scenario if there is a truly compelling reason to do so. The list will get cut down, it is only as large as it is for program variety as my S may or may not want engineering.
The challenge you face, as we do, is that schools where your child hits the 75% mark may not be schools they or you are terribly interested in and may or may not be the kind of schools that pay much in merit. We have one of those on our list and though he fits in that 75th percentile, it is a state school so there won’t be additional merit coming our way.
University of Wyoming will come in closer to your target to start, assuming the $5500 direct student loan. At her current stats with the Rocky Mountain Scholar program she’d come in about 20K. It really is a hidden gem, we were very impressed when we toured. Boise State as already mentioned is also an option.
Your MSEP schools will be your best chance for that 20K mark (again assuming the direct student loan) but I think most are going to fall a bit higher than you’d like but you’ll want either some of those or other state schools in for the financial safety piece.
Ohio University might be a good option. Lower OOS tuition to start and awards could range up to 15K. They also have fixed tuition, r&B for all 4 years which to me is very very attractive. While it is hard to estimate the average award appears to be around 10K for OOS, which brings it in around 23k.
Some of the LAC’s will come in around the 30k mark if that ends up livable, you might want to try Beloit and Lawrence though they don’t work with the Florida idea. I found Beloit to be more generous on paper. Ursinus is another one to look at. I am not well versed in the warmer climate less expensive options as my child is avoiding the sun 
Bear in mind too that if your D works during the year at all, or over the summers, that can help offset things, especially the personal expenses. I am not budgeting with that assumption but there is an expectation and my S is aware of it.