<p>I would shop for schools that do not require you to fill out the FA forms (profile or fafsa) to be awarded merit aid only. I would look for some private schools where you are also in top 20%. Would your parents pay for example, $30k per year if you were awarded 10k per year in merit aid and the total cost were 40k at a private school? If they won’t, then I wouldn’t bother, and I’d settle for my state school.</p>