My dad was working to become a part owner of a small time business when I entered college. Because of how it was setup he gained money towards the purchase based on company performance (he was running it). My parents were better off than most but far from wealthy and my mom has alot of medical bills. That money towards the company counted as income even though it never hit their bank account. Put them in a higher bracket for how they calculate college help and I recieved zero assistance but they had no money to give me. They had documentation and wrote letters and the aid folks said they understood, but sorry doesn't matter. Not to mention they didn't consider or put much weight into the two other kids not far behind me.

I was pretty bummed because I either had to take on at least 100k debt to go to the school I was enrolled in, or look into different options. It would have been doable with some assistance but I didn't even qualify for subsidized loans. Found another school that was well regarded (slightly less so than my original) in my field and went for about 40k. Ended up being a blessing in disguise, but if I didn't get reciprocity or chose a different major it could have changed my future for the worst. Feels dumb complaining about a first world problem, but I worked hard to get into that first school and even a number of years later it kind of pisses me off.

I had friends who qualified for basically free school due to family income. Some took full advantage and did well, others took full advantage to take the money and fuck off. I haven't thought on this for awhile but that is a real mentally screwy thing to deal with when you are younger. I wouldn't trade my life experience for the world, and I saved money and my career did not suffer. I also think it is awesome low income families get the chance for their kids to get ahead. But it would be cool to see other kids not be discouraged from their dream or dream school because their parents aren't rich or poor enough.