Problem is, most of those are no longer "cheap"/inexpensive, and to get the lower rates you're limited to ones in your state. Just looking at the not so top no

Problem is, most of those are no longer "cheap"/inexpensive, and to get the lower rates you're limited to ones in your state. Just looking at the not so top notch University of Missouri in my home state, it'll cost a resident around $20K/year plus transportation expenses, around $35K for a non-resident, and in general STEM majors cost more due to laboratory fees. Also note that public schools make no guarantee that there will be space available in required classes for you to finish in 4 years, and often have quotas for majors, e.g. per https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7795041 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7795041 the University of Washington has 80 CS slots per year, with over 1,500 applicants and a 3.9 GPA required to even be considered. While I'm not saying they're necessarily worth it, private schools with rare exceptions guarantee you'll be able to finish in 4 years in the major of your choice.