> But they are MUCH less affordable for and admit far fewer kids from ordinary educational backgrounds with middle class parents. That's just false. Huge numbe

> But they are MUCH less affordable for and admit far fewer kids from ordinary educational backgrounds with middle class parents. That's just false. Huge numbers of middle class students enroll in elite institutions. My family is decidedly middle class and, in line with their standard financial aid policies, every elite university I applied to offered an aid package which would make it affordable. The total debt required would have been around $5k over 4 years (just books). Obviously this is just anecdotal, but I do elite education's unaffordability is a pernicious myth which keeps great students from applying.