Am I better off going to a college thats in state even if I don’t love it if it means I won’t be in a shit ton of debt when I graduate? Or should I go to the college I really love and be about $90k in debt? $90k is if I had to pay full tuition but I’m sure I’ll get some money since I have pretty decent grades and my family does fit the type of family that can receive financial aid. Also, the college I want has one of the best business schools in the country so I think I will have a good job coming out of college. Thoughts please??? 
You can’t borrow much. YOU can only borrow the following amounts:
frosh 5500
soph 6500
jr 7500
sr 7500
so, you can’t graduate with a whole bunch of debt (thankfully) unless your parents (naively) cosign for bigger loans. Most parents will not do that since they’re liable for the loans. Also, you’ve indicated that your parents wouldn’t qualify to cosign big loans…so that is out.
Good thing that “big debt” won’t happen because NO SCHOOL is worth that much debt… NO SCHOOL.
What is your career goal? How much do you think you’ll be earning upon graduation?
What is this dream school? Maybe we can figure out another alternative.
What is your home state?
What are your stats?
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Indiana University Bloomington, Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers, American, UConn, Syracuse
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You are OOS for the publics on that list. They won’t give you aid. Your parents would be expected to pay all the costs.
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but I'm sure I'll get some money since I have pretty decent grades
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i have 3.8 weighted GPA on a 5.0 scale, 1650 superscore SAT, 1590 highest SAT in one test, 24 ACT. i
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Your test scores are not high enough to get merit scholarships. Your test scores are probably in the bottom half, maybe even the lower quartile, for some of these schools.
Money given for academic achievement is mostly based on test score.
You might want to look into apply to some test optional schools since your test scores will hold you back at a number of schools.
That said, take off all the OOS publics, unless your parents will pay for them.
How much will your parents pay each year? Ask them.
You’re considering being NINETY THOUSAND DOLLARS in debt???
My house cost $152,000 when we bought it in 1991. It came with a THIRTY YEAR MORTGAGE.
If you really are as bright as I suspect, you’ll realize how poor a plan this is.
Don’t attend a school where you’d be 90K in debt!!! That’s a terrible way to enter the “real world”, even with a high-paying job. OOS publics won’t give much aid, especially not with “decent” grades. (I’ve learned this the hard way). In-state publics or most privates will give more aid.
Which state do you live in?
OP’s other posts mention NYC metro / northern NJ area. So probably another NJ resident who wants to go anywhere but Rutgers.
If that is the case, the other schools are not worth $90,000 of additional debt versus Rutgers.
“I’m sure I’ll get some money since I have pretty decent grades and my family does fit the type of family that can receive financial aid.”
Check the Net Price Calculator for the schools you are interested in to see exactly what the school would expect your parents to pay. If you are correct that you will be eligible for significant financial aid, go ahead and apply. If it look like you are going to owe more than the amounts you are eligible to borrow (see mom2collegekids post), then don’t do it. As others have said, $90k (or even $45k) isn’t worth it.
Even if your college could 100% guarantee you a good job out of college, you still won’t make enough money to repay $90K worth of debt. Even great newly minted BA-holders in business can probably count on $45-60K salaries. With a business major you’re probably also expecting to live in some high cost-of-living city, too, like New York or Boston or DC or LA or something.
You won’t be able to afford to pay off $90K in loans.
So yes, you are better off going to a college that’s in-state even if you don’t absolutely love it. Many (dare I say most?) college kids end up falling in love with, or at least liking, the college they end up going to even if it wasn’t their first choice.
And just because your family is lower-income doesn’t mean you will receive enough financial aid to make it work. There are only a relative handful of colleges that give excellent financial aid; the majority of colleges and universities in the U.S. “gap” most applicants.
A 1650 SAT will not get you any merit aid. The OOs publics that you mention are high reaches if not out of reach academically and financially.
Apply to public universities in-state (privates that you can commute to if you want, or if you live in NYS privates with PSEO if you qualify) AND private universities out of state. Applying to privates (LACs) 400+ miles from home is more likely to result in scholarship because you’ll bring geographical diversity. Check out Hendrix, Albion, Agnes Scott if you’re a girl, Gustavus Adolphus, Beloit, Capital OH, Nebraska Wesleyan, Ohio Wesleyan, Centre…
Are you lower income and/or attending a lower-performing school? What’s your school’s SAT average, for instance?
Have you run NPCs on some colleges - what’s your EFC? how much can your parents afford?
The quick answer without really knowing your situation is NO. That amount of debt will not provide you with substantially more value than attending your instate public university and saving $90k.
However, you are asking the wrong question. YOU cannot borrow $90k. Find out how much your parents will contribute (including any loans they are willing to take). You can borrow up to $27000 for 4 years on your own. Apply to any schools you wish but make sure you apply to at least 1 school, likely an instate public, that you are sure you can afford and that you will be accepted to. Wait until all the financial aid awards come in and determine what is affordable based on scholarships, financial aid, potential work study, what you can make over the summer and the $27k you can borrow and finally what your parents stated they would contribute. If it’s affordable at that point you can attend out of state, if not, it’s too expensive. If I were your parents I would not bankroll $90k even assuming they could. I told my kids I will not borrow money for their college education.
On a related but side note, you are going to likely need to look at places other than flagships to be if you want to be accepted OOS. Your stats will need to improve immensely for any of the schools you listed to be considered anything other than reaches. There are many very nice OOS publics that you might consider matches but then you still have to consider costs.
I would not go 90K in debt if there is a decent debt-free option. You will give yourself many more options after college if you remain debt free. And you can always try to study for a semester or a year abroad or in a program at another US college and probably pay the in-state rate.
Going $90k into debt for undergrad isn’t a good idea, especially when you have very good schools available for so much less. How much money will your parents be able to pay? Low income families may qualify for up to $5k/year in Pell grant money and all students can get a yearly federal student loan of ~$5500. Add whatever your parents can pay/year plus your summer work earnings and that’s your budget. Then find schools that fit that budget. Don’t look for schools you “love” then figure out where to borrow to pay for them. I think that (in most cases) if you have to look for more than the federal student loan, the school’s too expensive for your family.
What state do you live in? I would understand if you were from somewhere like Wyoming where everyone you know goes to one university. I was in the same boat as you once. I hated the schools in North Carolina. I wanted to get as far away as possible! My list was Kansas State, Iowa State, Mizzou, West Virginia, and Arizona State. Part of me wanted to get as far away from my state as possible. Eventually I decided to settle for in state. The key is loving what you can afford. Maybe you would have a higher paying job if you went out of state but is the higher paying job worth the $90k debt you’re talking about? I’m sure that your state has very nice schools. I could have gone to Iowa State and be $30k in debt or I could go instate and be debt free.