Stanford undergrads do not make 170k base salary after graduation. Please read the article, it was talking about MBAs, specifically "12 percent of Stanford MBA graduates were hired by private equity firms, with a median starting salary of $177,500, the article said".

But she will rub shoulders with others who are well connected and/or are likelier to have higher warning power going forward. College is important because of the network you make, not the learning, which is why exclusivity is important (for top level schools like Stanford, easily worth the sticker price).

Oddly enough, I made no network in while college, but learned math, physics, programming, and electronics, among other things. I think what I learned has helped me in my career.

You vastly underestimate how far that money goes in the regions where these graduates are hired.

You mean overestimate?