<p>On a numbers basis, you are certainly correct and it is probably anecdotally true that private schools can give more money than publics. You are certainly not wrong.</p>
<p>My point was that when you have bill collectors coming after you, it’s not a wise choice to rely on that private school’s money for your education. If endowment goes down, you’re out of luck. They can also change the amount of aid at any time, it is not a legally binding contract.</p>
<p>With state schools, at least, you might be offered loans rather than grants from an endowment, but at least they are going to be reliable federal loans. They won’t get dropped mid-year, and as long as your income doesn’t change, your FAFSA will stay about the same every year, and you can expect to get the same amount yearly. </p>
<p>In MomfromPa’s case, it seems much more wise to suck it up, tell her daughter she’s going to a state school at least for now, and take some low-interest federal loans, rather than rely on a private school giving her money. I think we can both agree on that.</p>