I wouldn’t characterize President Eisgruber as either “arrogant” or an “elitist.” The fact that he even bothered to respond to you individually is a good indication that he’s neither. If you’re not happy being a full payer, you do have the choice to attend some other school that’s more generous.
I can’t believe anyone is complaining about this. Princeton’s price increase is no different from other colleges. In addition, Princeton gives the most generous financial aid, hands down.
Family of 3 with income of $285,000 EFC is:
$41,090 Princeton
$72,300 Amherst
$73,144 Haverford
Family of 2 with income of $115,000 EFC is:
$8,500 Princeton
$20,600 Amherst
$21,891 Haverford
Family of 4 with income of $65,000 EFC is
$1,100 Princeton
$4,905 Amherst
$5,303 Haverford
While I agree tuition costs have spiraled out of control, I wouldn’t single out Princeton because their increase is in line with other colleges.
I know how it feels to be a full-pay family while others are receiving generous aid; I experience this at my D21’s private school. Sometimes it can be frustrating and disheartening, especially when you question how the administration is allocating funds. The bottom line is that we all need to be prepared for tuition increases at this level and there’s not much to be done about it.