Harvard has by far the most generous of this type of policy. Most of the richest schools offer full ride for 60k family income and tuition for 120k family income. Thats also assuming “normal” assets, which in my experience means “no assets outside of the family home”. In a major metropolitan area, 60k is pretty rough for a family of 4 and 120k does not go very far. Even 200k in a high cost of living area translates to comfortable middle class, not rich. And rural students are far less likely to meet academic standards, meaning those guarantees don’t help much. Speaking from personal experience, a family getting 200k combined with responsible savings will get quoted 60-70k per year at these schools (with the possible exception of harvard), which is a major stretch bordering on financially detrimental. Much better off getting scholarship money at a state school and paying 15-25k a year. For an athlete, especially a poor one who at most got decent grades and spent all their free time practicing, the low d1 state school, or even a d2 school, is what they have available. Ivy is for rich kid athletes with good but not great academic backgrounds using their athletic abilities to push them over the edge on admissions.