<p>Middle income parent here -
Absolutely agree with all of the above. As for the stretch factor, you might be interested in the charts on this page to see what you might expect in the way of financial aid - every family’s situation is different obviously and you can’t bank on this chart as indicative of the amount of aid your family might recieve, but it at least gives you a frame of reference:
<a href=“Home | Financial Aid”>Home | Financial Aid;
<p>These charts were revealing to me. Based only on the students, the way they interact and their on-campus lifestyles, I would not have guessed that more than half of last year’s matriculants (but perhaps about 1/2 of those who are US citizens) have family income in excess of $105,000. Nor would I have guessed that 126 of those still recieve substantial need-based scholarship.</p>