A lot of good points here, but the cheapest in the short term is sometimes not the cheapest in the long term. Looking at 4 yr graduation rates in important too. Picking a cheaper school that has a low 4 yr grad rate, may end up costing more in the long run, b/c you may in reality be signing up for 5 yrs, and in that 5th yr there’s a chance your aid goes away. You do have to look a bit at ROI as well