The problem is that not nearly enough of the money you and I donate finds its way to students. Ivy League schools charge tuition based on the financial situation of its students and their families -- if your family has money, you pay more, if it doesn't, you pay less. Yale, Princeton, Harvard etc. have determined they aren't going to lose students based on economics. Notre Dame has the 9th or 8th or 11th (take your pick) largest endowment but still charges everybody the rack rate. It's an outmoded system, and it's causing me to consider whether I will break my streak of giving for X years this year.