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<p>There are a lot of parents and students who regret trying to finance a private university education. Research has shown that students who are accepted to HYP and the like do just as well at other colleges. It’s difficult to imagine regretting not going into debt when your child is doing well. </p>
<p>dg210, It’s very easy to solve the so-called problem you’re speaking of. Give up the jobs and investments that enable a family to be in the top 5% of American families in financial terms and make your children eligible for financial aid. Just go ahead and join the ranks of the poor and lower middle class.</p>
<p>You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Our families income is a third of the families we are supposed to not bite the hands of yet we are middle class and had an EFC close to full freight at most universities. Instead of whining about that, I instead chose to be very grateful that we own a home, have health insurance, can take any vacation at all.</p>
<p>Lastly, the idea that it’s actually a problem that a family might have to accept merit aid at a less perfect fit school than pay full fare at a private is absurd. That is very much an enviable situation. That you fail to see that does not make it any less so.</p>