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<p>Actually, I am saying that the quality of student bodies at the top publics is inferior to that of the top privates, despite (lower) in-state tuition. So theoretically speaking, state schools could be considered elite if they had stronger student bodies. But in reality, they do not.</p>
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<p>Need-based aid is perfectly acceptable. It allows qualified students to attend a university that they could not afford otherwise. If public institutions were to offer in-state tuition on a sliding-scale basis (by income), I’d have no problem with that.</p>