<p>If you are middle/ low middle class, and your daughter has the stats for a top private school you might pay less sending her to that private than to any SUNY.
For example, I was accepted to Bing, they wanted 19k approximately. However, for Pomona I only needed to pay 1900 a semester (and would make back 900 dollars a semester during my work study program anyway). Amherst gave almost as good financial aid, and Northwestern a little less so, but still much more affordable than Bing.</p>