+1, I attended a relatively endowment-rich private “top school” (not Harvard) and every other student I knew said “it was by far the cheapest school i was accep

+1, I attended a relatively endowment-rich private “top school” (not Harvard) and every other student I knew said “it was by far the cheapest school i was accepted to!” Everyone I knew from high school that attended private schools, or “good schools” out of state paid out the nose (or their family did). I grew up in a relatively affluent area, so most people didn’t get much aid. My family could afford to pay for my schooling too, but I had one of the lowest bill of anyone, excluding some in-state public schools, because private schools with big endowments heavily subsidize almost all students that aren’t rich foreigners, 1%er kids, GI bill/someone-else-pays attendants. TLDR: Schools know who can write a blank check, and they set the sticker price based on those students. Everyone else is subsidized.