I totally agree with what you are saying and if I come across as elitist in any way, I apologize. It’s hard to convey one’s financial situation without getting too personal and I don’t feel the need to elaborate on my own situation on this forum. The Net Price Calculator doesn’t take healthcare expenses and most special circumstances into consideration as well as some other factors. After being accepted, financial aid offices have been giving me more aid than calculators have predicted.
I find it odd that some calculators such as Harvard and Yale have me paying nearly full tuition but I qualify for full tuition coverage at Stanford under their pledge to families who make under $150k a year. Perhaps some schools are stingier than others or perhaps we messed up our inputs on the many visits to each school’s net price calculator! Whatever the case is, as long as I don’t go into a mountain of debt to fund my education, I will be satisfied!