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<p>Except they’d lose many of their full-pay families if they tried that. A billionaire will not expose his financial holdings to outsiders for a program his family doesn’t qualify for. It would also make things difficult when trying to solicit donations. Even if the financial aid department didn’t share interesting data with development, the suspicion would arise that they had. Good luck trying to get them to return phone calls.</p>
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<p>It could be a problem for the family. It is not a problem for the school. Many families do decide they can’t afford four years of tuition and decline enrollment offers. Setting a child up to leave a community is a self-inflicted wound. It’s gambling that the school will be more merciful than the parents.</p>
<p>Most schools are very clear about not being able to apply for financial aid in successive years. Many schools went to great lengths to extend FA to previously full-pay enrolled students in the market crash of 2008. That doesn’t mean that’s an established practice. </p>
<p>And again, one person’s idea of “affordable” is not the next person’s. The schools are not trying “consciously trying to find the fuzzy line where families can just barely make it financially.” They are all concerned about socioeconomic diversity, which includes the middle class. </p>
<p>Dodgersmom used harsher language than I would. However, families know how many children they have, they know their incomes, and they know their other assets. It’s not a secret. If there’s any doubt about paying tuition for all children, the parents should apply for financial aid. I believe a majority of families do.</p>