<p>Looks like Harvard’s unmatched financial aid allowed to maintain the highest yield among elite universities. Though, I think it would be interesting to see how the income distribution of the class was affected. I suspect that lower income students make up a much larger proportion of the class while the middle to upper middle class sharply decreased.</p>
<p>Though Harvard was always my first choice, financial aid was a serious factor in my decision. Harvard expected my parents to pay ~$10k while for Duke, Penn, Gtown, etc. it was close to ~$30k. They really are the best.</p>
<p>D turned down the opportunity for some merit money at other schools in order to pay full boat at Harvard. Ironically, paying full at Harvard is still less than many private schools.</p>
<p>Some turn down full boat at Harvard (in excess of 50k, SOMEBODY has to pay for all those generous financial aid offers lol!), for big merit scholarships at other schools. Others may visit and not like the vibe. I know cases of both.</p>
<p>Students admitted to H are often admitted to one or more of YPSM as well, and many of these students do not choose H. Also, as Tyler points out, a smaller number of students admitted to H (or YPSM) turn those schools down for big scholarships at excellent non-Ivy schools like Duke or UNC or Michigan.</p>