Another thing to consider when choosing a college is whether you want to attend a private or a public school. One of the best articles I’ve found on this topic is at http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000294.htm.

Even though the private university I have chosen to attend is 1.68 times more expensive ($32,000/year room, board, books and tuition) than the flagship state university ($19,000/year room, board, books and tuition) in my state of residency, it costs me and my family less to go to the private school because the private school awarded me a full-need scholarship. So I am going to the more expensive school for less cost than it would have been for me to go to the best public school in my state. Plus the private school has the subjects I want to study and none of the public schools have these same subjects. For me it was a win-win to go to the more expensive private school.