@rosered55, The mom can find out before her child enrolls if s/he got tuition remission or not. She should contact the school financial aid office.
If this student can get a better financial deal by taking a gap year and reapplying, that’s a better idea than trying to start at a school that will likely end up unaffordable. S/he will lose the option of freshman grants at the other schools if s/he enrolls at the college where the dad used to work and has to drop out due to finances.