<p>Doing a quick look at UT’s costs, it’s even going to be tight for you there with a gap you will have to make up, but its’ closer to $10K, than $20K and with some work study funds, a small loan that you may be able to get out the Stafford system ($4Kmore) and cutting down some of the stated COA expenses, you might be able to make it work without it being such a financial sinkhole that CAU would be unless that school coughs up about $15-20K out of their own treasury, and not loans but grants, for you to go there. </p>
<p>Also at UT, most of the kids live off campus after the first year, and there is plentiful cheap housing, especially if you share a room with someone. My friend’s daughters got away for about about half of what the college charged for room and board.</p>
<p>It still wasn’t cheap for them, and, even so, they are working at paying off the loans they incurred to go there, at that is even at instate Ohio prices, and it does suck big time. Ironically, they are now living at home after all of the “must go to sleep away college” because with the loan payback, they can’t afford to find a place to live of their own. But at least what they owe is about $30K, not $60-100k (the interest ratchets it up very quickly) and I think they’ll be ok by the time they are in their early thirties. </p>
<p>Another friend mine has her credit and finances in shambles and what her DD owes is now over the $100 range, way over, and they can’t even manage the interest payments t this point. She cosigned school loans for her daughter and they are now due. DON’T do this to your parents. CAU would be just as happy to get the money from you and your family borrowing it whether you should or not and they could not care less if it ruined you and them. They just want and need the money to survive themselves.</p>