^ Yes, for sure not a back room deal. The important difference, though, is that the match for athletes takes place prior to application or admission and in some cases does not require an estimate from another school. It’s possible that such an arrangement is available for non athletes but I don’t think so. Importantly, the intent of this is to remove cost as a barrier to athletes reaching an appropriate decision on best academic, athletic, social fit. The matching process simply needs to happen earlier because, in most cases, athletes are making the decision earlier, prior to applying anywhere, and are also being recruited by NLI schools. There’s nothing shady about it in my experience. But the result probably does advantage some athletes over non athletes who aren’t admitted to multiple Ivies.
And yes, it can be a difference of tens of thousands for some students. A year after starting the matching initiative, in 2012, Cornell put the cost at $800, 000 and an average of $10, 000 per student. With HYP generosity these days, I’m guessing the cost is far higher. I know that for an individual family with a lot of home equity the difference is significant to say the least.