truth sometimes hurts wrote:
Here's the truth, have you ever filled out a FAFSA form and recieved the results? Its like going to a car dealer and asking how much you can afford to pay for a car. What they say you should pay if you are upper middle class is ridiculous. A family income of 160K paying 50K a year for tuition is just not smart. And it doesn't matter how smart or how hard your kid worked, merit based scholarship is NOT awarded to anyone.
The very wealthy have no problem paying, lower middle class and poor often get in for free. Hence the population consists of lower percentage of upper middle class kids.
Now you are quibbling with the FAFSA formula and not the school. That's a little off topic.
But if you are making 160K per year and you only have one kid, then 50K per year is something you should be able to handle if you have been saving for college along the way. Of course, there are lots of other factors and everyone's situation is different. The FAFSA tries to take everything into account.
As I heard one financial aid officer put it, "We go off of what your are able to pay. Not what you are willing to pay."
I don't buy into the idea that upper middle class kids are at a disadvantage. It's just the opposite. Upper middle class parents can pay more in cash so they have a better chance of getting their kid admitted. You might pay through the nose, but at least your kid gets in if he wants to attend.