Just throwing this out there, on the topic of out-of-state tuition (though I don't know if it will help you, fsustar83) - CA has a policy that out-of-state students who spent at least 3 years in a CA high school and graduated qualify for in-state tuition even if they would otherwise be considered out-of-state. It's not something they heavily advertise, though, so you may have to mention it. In any case, that's pretty much the only reason my husband is applying to CA schools, as he graduated high school there. The specific bill is California's Assembly Bill 540.