How much is too much is endlessly debated. Some people say ANY loans are too much, and while I respect that, I disagree. I say there’s nothing wrong with loans that you have carefully considered and that you will comfortably be able to pay off in a few years. For many people, that’s no more than the 27k of Fed loans. But I would never judge someone who opts to go to a more expensive school if they’ve done their homework and know precisely what their payments will be and that they’ll be able to handle them. Not in a vague way, but in an “I’ve studied the amortization tables and I know exactly how much I’ll have paid in interest” kind of way.
And obviously, the less money owed the better, in general. If you’re taking on more, it had better be for a more concrete reason than “dream school.”