His question is: should he send him to a good-good university, e.g., U of Michigan or one of the good-great ones like Harvard. In one case the son will get scho

His question is: should he send him to a good-good university, e.g., U of Michigan or one of the good-great ones like Harvard. In one case the son will get scholarship in the other most probably not. Which one will give the better scholarship depends strongly on your family income. If you're from a well-off family then U of Michigan will probably end up a better deal (lower tuition + merit scholarships). But if you're from a less-well-off family, then the prestigious private universities typically have more generous aid, due to their huge endowments and insulation from state budget crunches. For example Harvard waives all tuition and provides a living stipend for students whose family income is < $65,000, which is more generous than U of Michigan's scholarship policy. Between $65k-$150k there's a sliding scale so you'd have to make a more detailed comparison; above $150k you pay the full Harvard tuition.