[geofft]

> It benefits from federal student loan programs.

If by "normal private institutions" you mean companies, sure, that's true. But normal private educational institutions absolutely benefit from this and other similar programs. The University of Phoenix, for instance, heavily recruits GI Bill-eligible students, and their right to do so was defended by Republican US senators.

> It receives federal research grants.

You can do this as a private company just fine. SBIR is a great example. I worked at a startup that got federal research grants less than a year after being formed.

> It is allowed to be a tax-exempt institution. And it is allowed to own a tax-exempt endowment.

These are common for normal non-profit institutions in America and are in no way specific to Harvard.