My D#2 got one of those $20k merit scholarships, but she needed more to bring a COA of ~$52k into budget. She just started stacking other money - an athletic scholarship (which really made it all possible), a state merit scholarship, a state grant to residents who go to private schools, a $2000 scholarship from my father’s fraternity. I think she had 9 line items on her bill for grants and scholarships. She could have tried for more of the little $500-$1000 ones from local sponsors, but she didn’t. Her first year she got no need based aid and I think I paid about $9k for her billed costs (also had about $1000 in books, a new computer, some travel). in 2nd-4th yrs gets some need based aid and it covers COA now.
D#1 did not have stats as high as her sister, so had more limited options (because she had the same budget). She got a small merit scholarship, a talent scholarship, an alum scholarship (which the school grants like need based aid, although there isn’t really a way to know that you’ll qualify for one), the $2k from grandfather’s fraternity. This semester she gets a grant for study abroad. She now lives in her sorority house which is cheaper than the dorms.
You have to deal with each child’s situation. It sounds like OP’s child has received a lot of aid, but needs to look at the bottom line and where she can get bonus money for talent or outside scholarships or state aid.
D#1 goes to U Wyo. The OP’s child would get the top Rocky Mtn scholar award, 150% of instate tuition, which makes OOS tuition about $6500. She could get a dance department talent scholarship of about $2k/yr (I think the application deadline is 1/30, so hurry). The music/theater/dance school just had a $10M remodel and the dance studios are gorgeous. Daughter’s freshman roommate is a dance major and loves it. It is definitely a ‘working class’ school any you are much more likely to see a student driving a 20 year old pickup truck than an Audi or BMW (for both financial and practical reasons). The application is online and takes about 10 minutes. No essays, not a lot of questions. Admissions and merit money is based on stats. I met a kid at orientation who was trying to get my daughter to join ROTC (it wasn’t happening!). He told me he was one of seven kids, and his parents paid for the freshman year for each kid. After that, the child had to figure out how to pay for it. He and brothers had ROTC scholarships, his sisters had been RA’s, they found other jobs and scholarships. They were instate so tuition is low and there are a lot of grants/scholarships for instate kids, but they worked hard and made it happen. It really can be done with tuition between $0-$4000 (instate), and r&b is $8000 first year and less after that. Plenty of jobs around town, everything is included with the student ID (sports, movies, concerts, events on campus, athletic center), very low cost activities like kayaking or hiking or mountain biking. Really excellent study abroad program, environmental sciences, engineering.
Utah is another state where tuition is very reasonable, and students can become instate after a year (the first year has big scholarships). Montana and Montana State have some great specialty programs in film, nursing, geology. Boise State.
Go west!