<p>There was a study done in 2005 by the National Center for Educational Statistics based on 2001-02 data which showed an average difference in net cost after grants between in-state publics and top private universities of roughly $15K per year. I think that is probably a good figure to use when talking about the additional cost of attending an elite private college.</p>
<p>Mentions of $200K and $100K are probably way out of line.</p>
<p>So, that would be about $60K over 4 years. I think that difference would be offset (in terms of dollars) if the student earned an additional $2-3 thousand per year by attending the elite private school.</p>
<p>Again, that ignores the intangible benefits of attending a substantially better school.</p>