When I was applying to colleges (in the 90's), my parents told me that: (a) If I applied and was accepted at the local state University, they would pay the ful

When I was applying to colleges (in the 90's), my parents told me that: (a) If I applied and was accepted at the local state University, they would pay the full costs for me to attend there. (at the time, ~$10K/yr) (b) If I was additionally accepted to any other school and decided to go there, they would still pay _me_ the costs of attending the state school, and I would be responsible for for making up any difference in tuition (financial aid, scholarships, loans, side jobs, whatever) to the alternate school. They did offer a ton of guidance and encouragement towards applying for scholarships, finding jobs, etc. and in the end I did manage to get through a private school in a different state. It worked out for me - I would probably offer a similar deal to my own children.