I don't know if it's still a thing, but back when I was applying to colleges (almost 20 years ago, *gulp*), there were a number of large public universities that offered free tuition plus some sort of living stipend for National Merit Scholars/Finalists. It means foregoing prestige to some extent, but I found my own education at one of those universities to be quite good. And it's been amazing to have no student debt when many of my friends are still struggling to pay down their debts while also juggling mortgages, daycare, etc.
