<p>Mustafah, your logic looked solid so I contacted someone I know in the Princeton administration and asked the question. I was misinformed. Im told that about half of Princeton undergraduates come from families with household incomes under $100,000.00 but thats a much higher figure than I had thought previously and places the other half in the top 15% or so of family incomes. </p>
<p>Princetons financial aid cutoffs are similar to those at its peers so that the percentages reported for first year students needing financial aid is a pretty good comparison of the average household incomes of the students at each of the schools. It thus makes me wonder what the equivalent family income numbers look like for schools with a much lower percentage of students requiring financial aid! Im assuming they would have to be significantly higher.</p>
<p>At any rate, your point has more merit to it than I had at first thought. I came from a family with a household income far lower than $100,000.00 and even lower than the national average (by quite a bit). </p>
<p>Youve just made me realize how lower middle class I was! I suppose its to Princetons credit that I never felt it while a student.</p>