Probably he meant he could get much higher financial aid at UC (thus illustrating that expensive private schools can be actually cheaper). For example: UC:

Probably he meant he could get much higher financial aid at UC (thus illustrating that expensive private schools can be actually cheaper). For example: UC: $50K tuition - $40K aid => $10K total cost UIUC: $25K tuition - $0K aid => $25K total cost