A simple exercise in stereotyping would suggest that elite private colleges enroll children of the wealthy, while state universities are home to working-class folks. Recent studies show, however, that the two populations are more similar than one might think.

According to a Higher Education Research Institute report (as cited in the New York Times), at the nation's 42 most selective state universities, 40 percent of this year's freshmen come from families making over $100,000 per year. That's more than double the national average. A sizable number of University of Michigan students come from families making in excess of $200,000. At Harvard, the Times notes, the average family income is $150,000.

Another study shows that from 1985 to 2000, the percentage of students at the 250 most selective colleges whose family earnings placed them in the bottom quartile nationally actually fell somewhat, despite widespread efforts to increase financial aid. Enrollment of middle-class students fell even more dramatically. "In many cases," the Times says, "the less wealthy students went to less selective schools, including lower-ranked campuses of state universities."

More students each year seek a college education. Competition for places at elite privates and top publics has become ridiculously intense. That competition evidently favors students from wealthy families despite higher education's purported efforts to democratize itself. Tuition continues to rise, most rapidly at public institutions. The middle-class and poor are systematically being pushed ever downward into the lower tiers of the educational spectrum.

Are we witnessing the demise of higher education's traditional role as the gateway to the American Dream?