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<p>Just for the record. Pepperdine is in Malibu, which is in Los Angeles County. Loyola Marymount is in Los Angeles, which also is in Los Angeles County.</p>
<p>More to the point, UCI is unlikely to give any aid to an OOS student. UNC Chapel Hill meets full need for all students but doesn’t admit many OOS students, and they’ll likely consider your parents’ combined income notwithstanding any private agreement your parents may have reached concerning how much they’re willing to pay; that probably puts you at zero-to-inadequate need-based FA. A similar logic applies to most schools, public and private, when it comes to need-based aid, though a few of the best-endowed schools, e.g., Harvard, would put you in a category where they’d expect your parents to contribute 10% of their combined income, which would make it affordable. For most schools offering need-based aid, however, the cut-off is more like $150K to $180K.</p>
<p>I think you need to compile a new list that starts with your state flagship, then adds schools that give substantial merit awards. There are many good schools that would be delighted to have a student with your outstanding stats who can also put $25K on the table.</p>