[Crawford]

All SUNYs are now tuition-free for in-state households earning middle class salaries or below.

I don't think SUNYs were ever particularly expensive, for state school standards. But obviously free is even better.

Private schools are very often cheaper than state schools. The vast majority of students don't pay sticker price. And many of the most elite private schools, with the highest sticker prices, have a large share of students paying nothing.