do you have the statistics on just how much debt they are paying down? there is an inherently huge difference between paying down $10K or even $20K in debt versus paying down a whopping $100K in debt.
The Forbes article on expensive colleges worth every penny has more info.
the article mentioned at the top of this thread? the only thing it says is, “Williams College, a perennial top scorer on the Forbes ranking of America’s Top Colleges, comes in at No. 3 for Best Value Colleges worth the price of admission. It sits at No. 26 on the overall Best Value Colleges list. The small, liberal arts college in Williamstown, MA, has a high debt repayment rate among graduates.”
williams says on their website that the average indebtedness of a student who borrowed from federal, institutional and private loan programs in the class of 2017 was $16,230 (https://finaid.williams.edu/how-it-works/student-loans/). that’s a big difference.
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So, there was another thread like this one some time back, but the school discussed in that thread was Stanford. I know it’s not going to be the popular position here on CC, but I “voted” for debt, when it came to Stanford. I think Williams would be another one of those rare schools that I’d borrow the money for, just for the superior alumni connections alone.
FWIW, “I know a guy,” 
he’s actually a friend and both of our kids are great friends. He’s the only Williams graduate that I know out here in SV. For the past 10-15 years, the guy has started and sold several companies making a boatload of money. Over the years, he has blathered on and on about the Williams network.
Based on the sample of 1, go to Williams.
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College Spotlight - College Insight says $15,911 on average for the 33% who have debt.
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thank you. exactly, so not the $100K OP would be taking out. imo, using the “williams grads pay off their debt at a fantastic rate” is not a valid argument because it does not apply here.
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The student isn’t taking out 100 k in debt, the student is taking out 27 k. That is a manageable amount.
Everything else (73 k) is up to the parents. The parents CAN pay out of heir savings and investments. They would not have to take out debt. They’d just have less to live on, and only they can say whether it’s worth it to them. Is it just fewer vacations, an older car, eating out less? Who cares about these things right now? Is it essentials? Medical care? Household help that is sorely needed? A smaller home, no space for adult kids to come home and visit?
To treat their children equitably, they really should tell OP that anything above the Rutgers COA they would have paid for their third child is a loan to be repaid to the parents, to be repaid once the federal debt is paid down, on a scale the family agrees is equitable. A gamble, but not the same thing as banks holding debt over you.
And a masters may just not be in the cards any more. That is the price to pay for going to Williams.
The one risk I am not clear whether it has been factored in: how will the EFC change for the third and fourth year, as the older siblings graduate. OP, are you clear on that?
Also, another factor to take into account is spending per student. Williams provides research stipends, covers cost of travel for winter study programs, pays for books, the “all in cost” covers a lot of items that are not included by other schools. Williams can cover these costs and provide other support services with an endowment three times larger than Rutgers.
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From what the OP has said, it appears his parents saved a quarter of a million dollars for their kids’ college education. Maybe they spent the rest of their money on having a roof over their heads, food, healthcare… The OP’s father dislikes debt, that is a god thing, and one should never put college costs over retirement savings. My father attended private boarding school, got his BS from Princeton, MBA from Columbia, and I attended a public university. I don’t think CC represents the real world.
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And on that note…