Some of the more expensive colleges rely on the psychological impact of "oh wow, they're offering a five figure discount!" to overcome resistance. I went to a school that's was $36k/year (now $60k); they had a $10k "merit" scholarship for a SAT/ACT score threshold that anyone eligible to attend would've qualified for.

I wound up transferring to the local community college (for a tenth of the cost) for a year, and had quite a few of the same professors who'd adjunct there for a bit of side income.