<p>A state school is not always the answer. It depends upon the state and whether they will commute and have access to a car, or public transit. That said, borrowing that amount of money is a horrible idea, IMO. </p>
<p>Just because this student does not have stats that they think is good enough for merit aid, can this student still apply to 3rd or 4th tier schools and get some merit money. Still, if the sticker price is 40,000, and the student gets 10,000 in merit money, it is not going to work. Do they qualify for financial aid?</p>