<p>ok, well I know someone in a suburb of NYC who got NOTHING from an Ivy (not Princeton). Parents make around 150K (not much in this area). Kid chose SUNY Binghamton - full ride. Otherwise, would have to take over 80K in loans.
I DO agree that the landscape is changing though. It's a joke that Ivies don't give merit aid. They don't like losing kids to Vanderbilt, Duke and state honors programs so they felt they needed to do something. It's not across the board though from what I have seen. In any case, my definition of filthy rich doesn't include those who make 150- 200K in a major metro area (although that's certainly comfortable). Cost of housing and high taxes can eat away at that income pretty fast - especially for larger families. It's all relative...</p>