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<p>That would be Manitoba, which lies directly north of Minnesota; not Alberta which is further west. Wisconsin-Madison is generally a terrific deal for Minnesota residents because you get in-state tuition but I believe most of their aid is need-based so you’re probably in no better shape with them than with U Minnesota.</p>
<p>Don’t confine your search to public universities. My general impression is that a lot of private schools are more generous with merit-based financial aid. But you need to target your search to schools where your stats fit well within the top quartile of their entering class in every category, and then I think it’s advisable to contact them directly. If Mom & Dad refuse to pay for college I imagine they’re not going to foot the bill for a ton of college applications, either, so you’re not going to want to apply scattershot and hope someone comes through with a big merit-based financial aid offer. You need to get some colleges actively pursuing you and making merit-based financial aid offers upfront.</p>