The discussion was about whether Harvard was affordable for a government worker family that was not “super rich”, not whether it was easy to get accepted.
Colleges that are very low cost to typical lower and middle class families tend to have very low acceptance rates. This goes beyond just HYPSM… type highly selective private colleges. For example:
Colburn – 5% acceptance rate
Navy – 8% acceptance rate (who they count as applicants is questionable)
Ozarks – 11% acceptance rate