I wasn’t talking about merit awards. I was suggesting that a relatively selective private school might … depending on your financial situation … be price-competitive with some OOS public schools, based on need-based aid. Assuming you qualify for enough n-b aid, that is.
For example, assuming $160K/year family income, CA resident, 2 children, $80K cash savings, and $160K home equity, I get the following net price estimates:
$43,268 Macalester
$42,905 Grinnell
$41,754 Bates
$41,148 Whitman
Using the same assumptions, here are net prices I get for a few Jesuit schools:
$71,148 Santa Clara
$54,270 Loyola U. Maryland
$47,920 College of the Holy Cross
$46,643 Boston College
YMMV.