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<p>UIUC has created a number of special merit scholarships over the last few years to try to reduce the state’s brain drain. My son was offered 3 stacked scholarships totaling $71,000 over 4 years. Nevertheless, it was still cheaper for him to attend any of the more elite colleges, where the typical offer was about $5000 a year out of pocket, including books and travel expenses. But UIUC would have been a good deal for a kid coming from a more solidly middle-class family.</p>