<p>Here’s how I will put it. You can expect to receive the best need based aid at the top schools. They will include loans and work-study, but the best you can expect from a college is from a top college. Now, you might get generous merit aid from lesser schools. Some schools are relatively cheap to begin with that even small merit aid coupled with decent need based aid will cover much of the costs. Besides, to be honest, 100k for a family is decently well off, so you should be able to go to college.</p>