Originally Posted by Austin
Check out this post by Val.

http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....cs/126424/Re_Wasted_Time.html#Post126424

You can do it yourself. The estimated cost is 23K per year for 130K income and a reasonable amount of equity after Harvard ponies up.

She mistakenly included equity in her primary residence, which Harvard excludes, as I explained at http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....cs/126438/Re_Wasted_Time.html#Post126438 . According to kcab in this thread, "Equity in primary residence is not counted in the EFC (estimated family contribution)", so excluding home equity is not unique to Harvard.

Originally Posted by Austin
Assuming the Harvard cost was a loan, then the net present cost of the Harvard degree would really be around 140K.

Harvard financial aid does not include loans.

http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do
"We do not consider home equity or retirement accounts as resources in our determination of a family contribution, and aid packages do not include any loans. A typical student may receive over $150,000 in Harvard scholarship assistance over four years and the majority of students receiving scholarship are able to graduate debt-free."

If the bright people on this forum have misconceptions about financial aid, I bet that many students from less-educated families are making decisions based on incomplete information.

"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell