[ManicMechanic]

As a progenitor/financier of Kuiper's endeavor, I have a bit of "inside" on the process; for a while, the 3 schools were neck-and-neck. Other factors at work included geography (ironically, snow being a plus) and finances, which were of interest to me. Some stats (from US News & World Report's College edition)

Average total cost after grants
Rice: $18,819
Case Western: $22,517
Northwestern: $24,894
Carnegie-Mellon: $27,065

Interestingly, an acquaintance from a nearby school with similar grades and family economics reported that the schools with big sticker prices ended up being less expensive than "cheaper" schools after grants. When all the aid offers were in their results were:

Princeton - cheapest
MIT - 2nd
Local state university, in-state tuition - most expensive

It seems counter-intuitive, but the local state U. doesn't give much financial aid to middle-income families ($30,000 - $60,000). There are so many low-income families in our area (over half the public school students in our county receive free or reduced lunch, and that doesn't even count the ones who qualify but don't apply for free lunch) that need the money more.