Not sure how good the educational discount is from SoftTiles ($209 without), but I've posted these near identical ones in previous threads on this topic as they are only 1/8" thinner & cost just $90!
http://www.amazon.com/We-Sell-Mats-A...MQ/ref=sr_1_51
Note that since these are not the exact same as those at the competition, there is the possibility of a slight color difference (important if you're calibrating color sensors for line tracking). My own teams haven't had any issues with these mats though as they really are nearly identical.
Always good to have options.
