<p>What you say is very likely true of the overall national pool of foreign students at United States universities, but the point is that Harvard and Princeton (this is the Princeton forum) want to make sure that THEY get foreign students who couldn't possibly afford to attend United States universities with family or home government funds. Both colleges offer full financial aid to ALL admitted students--regardless of citizenship--and that means that the United States visa requirements of being able to show sufficient support are met in the case of students admitted by Harvard and Princeton. But to get the best students from poor families around the world, first Harvard and Princeton have to get applications from those families, after making clear that the time and effort of applying is worthwhile to families who might not guess attending such colleges is feasible.</p>