@saillakeerie “Colleges are not going through this analysis at all. As long as they are getting the quality of kids they want with the mix of full pay versus aid kids that works, they do not care how anyone is funding their portion of the cost of attendance. Saying they have these expectations would mean they owe something to people who apply but they don’t. And they shouldn’t. Assuming they are getting the kids they want with the amount of aid that works for the institution, whether they deal a family with $x amount of income or $y amount of assets as being able to afford full freight with current income, loans, selling assets, savings or a combination of all of the above won’t change how they approach aid.”
This is exactly what colleges tell parents about paying, and how to come up with the $, so whether you believe cynically they care how you come up with it is your choice.
And while no one spends $65k on travel, what the poster meant was, that $10k family trip may be cancelled or they will be $10k short to pay the bill that year.