So no, sorry... cost
is far lower at the public institutions. By the way, BOTH of those private institutions list themselves with College Board and other calculators/aggregators as "meeting 100%" of student need in costs. They do. With
loans. That does bring up another good point, though, and that is-- check out the
actual price at any institution. Don't rely on that sticker price, but that applies as much to public institutions as to private ones.
Yes, but some colleges have
no-loan policies. A college's loan policy should be checked carefully when making application decisions. This is what Bostonian means when he says that some of the elite colleges can turn out to be less costly than a local public university.
I recommend checking each college's website for up-to-date information on its loan policies. It can't hurt to apply to these colleges. If they say no, you're in the same position you would have been in anyway, but if you get a yes, you might end up paying less.
Jonlaw: some colleges don't include your house in their aid calculations.
