<prompt> Human: Apologies if what Im saying isnt specific enough. Ive tried to point out everything about my situation as fully as I can without revealing something too specific.Hi! So Im a white middle class male about to enter college. Im in the money bracket thats below the rich can easily pay for college group and above the poorer group financial aid is more generously awarded to.Lets say I get admitted to universities on the level of Stanford Harvard. These type of schools seem to best fit my career goals, and Id like to schools on this level if given the chance. I also believe I would really like to work around the really smart people that attend these high end colleges this is a large reason for me wanting to attend these type of colleges.Heres the problem. My parents make upper middle class income, but they cant pay for my college. Theyre both nearing retirement both nearly 60, and due to bad decisions of the past, they need to save all of their money for retirement. They have great credit and little debt outside of the house mortgage. The most they can pay is the tuition of my local state university they can only pay for the local state university, not out of state universitiesSo, am I screwed out of all financial aid? Is there some way I can get aid because my parents are close to retirement?Also, should I dare risk taking on debt from these high level institutions, or would that be silly even if these colleges best fit my career goals?Yes, I know scholarships are a possibility for payment and Im working on applying for as many as I can. But lets ignore that for this post.Thanks!  <response>: Well, if you are serious about Harvard, you should learn more about how many of the students get aid.60 percent receive needbased scholarships and pay an average of 12,000 per year. Twenty percent of parents pay nothing. Families with incomes between 65,000 and 150,000 will contribute from 0-10 of their income, and those with incomes above 150,000 will be asked to pay proportionately more than 10, based on their individual circumstances.Assets play a role in that computation, but it sounds like your parents dont have much other than house. 