Alex. If the finances work out…fine. If not you have a good and affordable safety. And you know…once you are on campus, it doesn’t matter if you are 3 miles from home or 3000 miles from home.
Are you targeting the flagship universities in MD, VA, MA and MD?
University of Maryland does give merit awards…competitive…to OOS residents. I believe these are based on the strength of your admissions application. You would need to be at the top of their admitted student pool to be eligible in all likelihood.
How much aid do you need?
It sounds like you think you won’t qualify for need based aid. Will your parents contribute annually at all? How much?