@KillingEvenings
I should clarify that I went to one of those elite US schools so am very familiar with them (or them of the early naughties) but not to resources available to international students. All the financial aid we saw in my day was a mixture of loans and discounted admission based on need. I don't think most of the families sending their DC to private schools in London would qualify for needs based financial aid so would be interested if you had any more info need-blind grants. I imagine they would be more akin to super selective scholarships and highly competitive, but maybe I'm wrong and it's just about knowing what forms to complete.
I still attest though that the UK has great schools. It's misleading to say most of the top 10 schools are in the US but not mention 3 or 4 (depending on who's ranking you look at) are in the UK which, considering the relative sizes of the two countries shows the UK punching well above it's weight.
You'd be surprised how many families sending their kids to selective schools are on "modest" salaries of say 100K and making sacrifices to pay. Also many schools in London do help these families, some of them offer bursaries even for families with own home (with a mortgage) and earning a joint salary of say 90K. Keep in mind the average salary in London SIGNIFICANTLY lower than 100K, for the UK its even lower, think half and then some. So yes, within Westminster or UCS or Kings etc, there are families with millions, there are many with modest incomes that still dwarf most in this country
I love my country, but it's simply a fact the US schools are jaw dropping compared to many a good university here in the UK, for resources, research, teaching, the works. And compared to ours, they offer financial help to students. The UK has history on its side that distorts our importance. We've had a brain drain to the US universities since the 50's. And it looks like not ending anytime soon.
Harvard offer help even for low six figure income families (GBP) and its open to UK students, so those "modest" families sending their kids to private school aren't out of the running is my point.
And to be blunt, if the cut off is around 200K, that seems fair if it ensures families on modest incomes aren't held back .
I understand what you're saying, why bother going to Harvard when Oxford and Cambridge is only up the road, but for me to send my son or daughter to one of the Oxbridge colleges, on a modest salary I would pay fees of 9K a year, and help them with ALL living costs, the only 'help' I will receive is a loan from the government.
The University themselves provide nothing, except hardship funds for students that are in real difficulty ( but not for fees, for living costs) and of course there are prizes and scholarships but nothing like the level of help from places like Harvard.
www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/fees-and-funding/oxford-support
college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/how-aid-works