<p>My guess is there is actually going to be a contraction of schools at the top over the next few decades. One could argue that the only reason the number of well regarded school has increased recently is because there was a bubble of middle class graduating seniors (boomer’s babies), who were, by sheer numbers, making the most competitive schools even more selective, and pushing into view a number of great, but formerly less competitive schools. The number of college age and college ready students is going to decline over the next few decades (I think it peaked one or two years ago), and all colleges will become slightly less competitive, with less momentum for rising star colleges.</p>