Financial Aid is a sliding scale based on EFC calculation and is no different regardless of school. Ivies can't change that calculation. What is does do is place Ivy cost on par with other schools where a student's calculated EFC is below the average flagship school. Say Cornell's tuition is $45k per year and VT OOS is $25k. If the student's EFC is $25k or below then Cornell will cover the difference...essentially making the cost to the family the same regardless of school attended.....the student will almost always choose Cornell in this case and for athletes it happens a lot, unless of course you are seeking a professional athletic career in which case academics become, well, academic. It is when a family's EFC is greater than $25k in this case where a value proposition comes into play. Generally, unless you are super wealthy and $45k plus living expenses is a small drop in the bucket....schools like VT start to really look more attractive as your EFC increases.