That’s a whole different topic. Calling one elite or not - whether Harvard, UC anything, Babson, Wyoming - anywhere - is an opinion and ultimately in the eye of the beholder.
To me, semi elite is ‘next tier’ as I suppose I define it. You define differently and that’s fine. Obviously for some majors Gtown is king. But I’m not sure it matters as much in those majors.
Ps - my point was schools will discount more if they need to. Denver already is. The cap was $30k merit. It’s now higher.
Ultimately if consumers en masse can’t afford and the class can’t be filled, just like any other consumer product, the true price will adjust. At any school.
But the full pay at top schools are less likely to be impacted. But a full pay even at a second tier school will look long and hard at the perceived value. And schools will adjust merit if needed.
Schools may be trying to capture more $$ at the top but may need to stay stable at the bottom. That’s why they have aid - merit and otherwise.