Perhaps the litigants can agree that while the student bodies (as a whole) may not be interchangeable, you will find a large number of students at major public research universities who have academic credentials that are similar to students enrolled in Ivy League and other top private universities. This is certainly true for the students enrolled in the honors colleges and honors programs at these public universities (http://publicuniversityhonors.com/college-value-public-honors-vs-private-elites/) and is most likely the case for the top 25% of the entering class at the major public research universities mentioned in this thread.