Minnesota OOS COA has been increasing and OOS merit decreasing. They pass out a lot of application fee waivers. I think it’s just to pad their stats. My S20 applied just because. Got into Carlson but no merit.
Most college campuses are liberal or at least indifferent, even if the surrounding area is considered conservative. Even among the Catholic schools there’s a range. The Jesuit schools are typically liberal. Most kids can find their niche just about anywhere. Besides, I though college was about challenging yourself and meeting ALL types of people?
Looking at your original post and the way Covid is impacting everything I would think a school within driving distance would be preferable. Temple and Pitt(alum) seem like targets.