The Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) is a tuition reciprocity program affording students a discount to attend a number of out-of-state colleges. Participating Midwestern states include Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Public institutions involved agree to charge no more than 150 percent of the in-state resident tuition for select programs. Private institutions in MSEP offer a 10 percent tuition rate reduction. To review participating schools, click here. Each school in the program can set specific admission requirements and limit participation, so definitely check out participating college websites. The great news about the exchange program is that savings can be significant. For example, tuition at the University of Kansas is estimated at $9,579 for residents and $24,962 for nonresidents. However, Illinois students accepted to KU through MSEP would pay only about $13,685 to attend. When applying through MSEP students should contact the campus administrator at the participating school and prominently indicate the application is intended for MSEP consideration. To learn more, talk to your counselor and/or the Illinois coordinating contact. See about and frequently asked questions.

The University of Wisconsin System is one of the largest systems of public higher education in the country. Core to its mission is making a great education both accessible and affordable. With 26 campuses, it serves over 180,000 students annually. Half of the campuses are four-year universities, including its flagship, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Note: All are named UW followed by a location name—such as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (or UWM for short) or UW-Whitewater. The other 13 campuses are freshman and sophomore colleges and create an affordable pathway for college to students who might otherwise not attend. Ramblers may not be aware that attending college in Wisconsin actually can be more affordable or equivalent to local options and Wisconsin places a high priority on Illinois students. Many campuses like UWM and Whitewater offer incentives and scholarships to Illinois students and some in the Wisconsin system belong to the Midwest Student Exchange Program (see above).

The Minerva Schools at KGI offers students an innovative and very unconventional approach to college education. Students will live and study in seven different countries during their four years. The first year is in San Francisco, followed by a semester each in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Bangalore, Istanbul and London. Founded in 2012 by a Silicon Valley CEO and former Harvard dean in partnership with the Keck Graduate Institute, Minerva aims to create an educational movement—combining high quality education, global immersion programs, new ways of learning and a lower cost model. Notably tuition is only $12,500 per year. (While that doesn't include housing and travel expenses, even so, Minerva's total cost comes in well under that of many other selective schools—see article.) Costs are kept down because Minerva doesn't own any infrastructure—there are no Minerva-owned buildings, no classrooms and no sports teams to support. Instead, students live in leased residence halls in the heart of world-class cities. Classes are small, less than 20 students, and all are taught live and online in a seminar style. While professors may be anywhere, because of its propriety Active Learning Forum software, Minerva's virtual approach enhances student-to-professor and peer-to-peer interactions. (Check it out!). Being unconventional, Minerva does not require or accept any standardized test scores. This 8-minute PBS video is a terrific overview. See also about, academics, admissions, frequently asked questions and college website.

University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

There are many reasons to love the University of Alabama—excellent academics, big school spirit, great Greek Life, Division I sports and a beautiful campus. Another reason students like to go here—automatic scholarships! It's just like it sounds—meaning incoming freshmen with good grades and test scores are automatically eligible for scholarship money. UA bases awards on a cumulative high school grade point of 3.5 or higher and test scores starting at 27 (ACT) and 1210 (SAT). The money can be significant. Scholarships can range from $3,000 annually up to UA's Presidential Scholars giving recipients the value of tuition—$107,800 over four years or $26,950 per year. Certain rules and deadlines apply—see FAQs. Additionally, UA offers a range of other financial aid and National Merit too. In fact, UA is leader among public universities in the enrollment of National Merit Scholars with 600+ currently enrolled. Another interesting stat, more than 40 percent of the 7,559-member freshman class scored a 30 or higher on the ACT, up from last year's record of 36 percent.

Interested in learning about other schools offering automatic scholarships—here is a write-up with more information from Prep Scholar Blog. Definitely worth a read!