Is it just these two options? Can she find another choice for fall or spring ? One she can afford.
You can do ‘business’ jobs from any major.
Business can make sense but not at usc.
You don’t need to be local to get a job local. And the Trojan network is vastly overstated.
Sure, businesses, like other entities, need to communicate their messages, but I don’t see anything in the communication major that’s specifically related to business:
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION (ucsb.edu)
Colleges that make such claims are at least partially to blame for the current student debt crisis (OP’s daughter may not need to borrow, but some others in that major probably would).
My kids had to take out private loans, we used Sallie Mae because they offer co-sign release after 12 months of repayment. We also pay the interest starting day one. Fortunately our graduates have good jobs and repayment hasn’t been a problem (career plans were definitely part of the equation). We have 5 kids, there is 1 I will not co-sign for.
After the Supreme Court decision was announced against loan forgiveness, the networks interviewed many students who were complaining how they were "forced’ to take out $50,000 plus in student loans to get their degree. I suspect that at least for some of them it was a choice not no attend the less expensive school and avoid most of the debt.
It’s always a choice to take loans, whether the $27K max (generally) in undergrad direct student loans, or loans above and beyond that. The student loans can often make sense from a number of perspectives. Loans above and beyond…not so much.
Does she get to go to UCSB starting in the fall? Regardless, I would not let her go to USC or ANY school that requires one to rack up loans for undergrad.
I’m sure some do need to take out loans if they had no college fund. Without FA or merit, $50,000 is what it takes here to go to CC for 2 years and then 2 years at a local university.
In some states (e.g. PA and NH), the average student loan debt is close to $40k, probably due to factors like poor in-state public university financial aid and limited commuter access to many campuses.
In PA, many of the regional publics (PASSHE schools and PSU branches) along with PSU main have average student loan debt over $40k.
Obviously, parental financial circumstances and choices that are not under control of the student are big factors here.
But these averages are not of relevance to the OP, where there is one clearly affordable (with no debt and money left over) choice and one unaffordable (with high debt) choice.
Plus Marshall is Spring ‘24. There’s time to find appropriate, more affordable schools within budget.
The Marshall or bust attitude is the result of ranking, marketing and brainwashing that all these schools do to students - that frankly for the masses, is just untrue.
But first and foremost - the student should look at curriculums.
I’m a big fan of outcomes but I could not be an engineer or accountant or CS person.
My daughter, studying a social science, I’m not sure what it will lead to but it’s the right curriculum for her. You can’t succeed if you can’t get through or you won’t enjoy the curriculum no matter how better the perceived outcomes.
If your daughter determines comm fits her best - and I was a broadcast comm person and I ended up in outside sales after bombing b4 my mba - then that’s what she should do.
If she decides b school fits her best - with the $50 or $60k per year you have saved - there are lots of b schools where that easily fits. And yes she can settle in LA.afterward, even if the schools are not nearby or even OOS.
You are only going to get one answer on cc about loans. It’s been the same set of replies when this type of question is asked for years here. It’s all “don’t take them,” yet there are millions of people with loans out there, so people take them. Some times its the best decision, sometimes not. I think it’s a personal decision and how and what a student/parent values about the overall college overall experience and if they want to pay for that (now or later). I find it weird to have such strong opinions about someone else’s financial choices especially when often comparing two items (two dif schools) that they have no personal experience with. Don’t take loans is an easy battle cry though.
So I am neither for or against loans - that’s everyone’s own choice and no one sees a poster’s true financial picture behind the question. People borrow 60K on many cars these days (all the Tesla’s in Norcal omg), so it’s just how you (and only you) choose to spend or borrow. UCSB and USC are very different schools in experience and network, and many other regards. Only you can decide if those differences mean something to you and if it’s worth paying for, whether outright or through loans.
It’s an individual thing, there was a fam that had a full ride to USC (worth over 250K), but daughter got into an Ivy at the last minute so they chose to spend (actually borrow most of it - over $200k) to send her there rather than take the virtually free education at USC. Some would think they were absolutely nuts, but it’s what they wanted to do for their daughter. I got a pm years later that it was the best decision they ever made.
But maybe they have CA real estate that they cash out of later or they are one of the millions in very deep debt. Their choice for their kid. No judgement.
FWIW the parent stated an unwillingness to co-sign a loan (which would be $60k at a minimum).
And one never knows the alternative.
Perhaps SC full ride would have been the best decision ever.
If I was comimg out with a 10 year stranglehold at $700 a month - not sure how one can consider that ok.
But I do agree with your assessment - many take loans and it’s a personal choice.
But for the vast majority - it doesn’t end well. It doesn’t help you, relationships - in school and romantic…it’s just a tough thing. Even doctors, who have no choice in most cases, will tell you as will countless articles and uproar this week….about the permanent stress.
But I do agree with @CADREAMIN that ultimately it’s up to the student and family, how to spend their own money. And up to banks and lenders as to whether to lend.
But if I was spending $90k a year (if full pay), I’d want a big fat juicy yummy steak. Given it doesn’t appear that the student has looked into or will enjoy the curriculum (didn’t realize b school is heavily quant today) ie it’s not a fit…that’s just another red flag.
I wouldn’t necessarily say the cheaper choice is always the best choice. My son could have taken a full ride to Alabama, but instead we are going to spend 40k a year for what we have deemed the better option. The difference is, 40k a year is in our budget without loans. UCSB is a fine school, a dream school to many, so it’s not like this student with receive a subpar education. National ranking wise, if one cares about such things, UCSB is 32 compared to USCs 25, a negligible difference for sure.
Big difference 
btw they have it sounds like $50k a year is already set aside which if full pay would actually leave a $40k a year delta, not $30k.
Agreed UCSB is a great school (forgetting rank which in this and many cases is fairly meaningless) and many end up in business one way or another, regardless of major. It really impacts the discipline at work you might end up. And frankly Bama or UCSB for most students going down an unknown path likely will not alter outcomes significantly if at all. My son, a recent Bama grad, was at orientation this past week - different major but 150 kids from engineering, supply chain, health and safety - which he said 50 or 60 were engineers - top schools like Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Case most common but Bama, Auburn, Utah, Missouri Science and Tech, Akron and more all represented - and all same pay. His roomie is supply chain - confirmed all supply chain make the same ($6k less than my son).
Lots of any major, business included, end up as account managers, regional managers, inside or outside sales., etc. Some like technical, may require a STEM degree but many like mine just require ‘a degree’ although without an mba I wouldn’t have gotten my previous job which led to this one. But I still could have gotten in with any degree - just would have had to start in customer service instead of marketing like I did.
Btw I was hung up on ranking - undergrad. Big mistake. MBA - I went to a lower ranked but still solid - they paid me $3k to go. And for my son - I was shocked and sad he chose Bama over Purdue (with scholarship) - and yet he did just as well and somehow is with others soread around the country from Kent Washington to Irvine to Maine with him in Utah.
We are talking about big investments and yea they are personal - but OP asked for advice and many are contrary to one another and that’s ok. Different perspectives.
But I think we’d all agree - what you spend provides no assurances to anyone. Outcomes are impacted by many factors - societal (recession), student (do they have the ‘it’ factor or do they hustle…we all know kids at every range of school that didn’t start an intern or job search until too late), and other factors - yea in some cases school or professor contacts.
But nothing is guaranteed just because of name or expense.
ATM, yes. She was accepted to UCSD but declined and is currently on wait-list for UCLA. So UCSB in Fall '23 or USC Spring '24 is it.
At least for the middle class families in SoCal we are around, focus is basically on UC’s only (or maybe USC if they get aid).
For me, the extra semester at UCSB is something to consider. My daughter is a rising senior at USC- and she says Fall semester is obviously the most fun. Kids have football, less stressed than in the spring semester when “things get real” in terms of not having secured the job or internship. That’s why I would want USC for 2 Fall semesters.
I don’t have a Marshall kid, but do recruiters tend to me more on campus during the fall?
Why did she apply for spring or did they give her that ?
Will she be 1.5 years in or 2.5 years in. Sounds like 2.5 ? So what would she do in Fall ?
I imagine transferring is not easy socially but a spring harder than Fall. And yes jobs go in fall - my son was done at xmas but plenty come in sorimg for those that waited…but they’ll typically be lower paid.
Internships at higher level places will also be fall but regular places in spring. .
Today is more done via indeed/LinkedIn/handshake and the on campus hiring is less relevant. My son had 20 interviews - all zoom - even companies recruiting ‘on campus’.
Bottom line and since you mentioned $80k and it’s $90k - if you’re not co signing, she’s not going.
So forgetting I would never choose USC in this situation - how will your daughter get there without the money ?
So In that sense the choice has been made…
Why did she decline UCSD?
It looks like there are a ton of business majors there.
It might not be too late to ask them if she can still attend, if it now looks better than USC which she can’t afford or UCSB communications.
What they offer
https://rady.ucsd.edu/programs/undergraduate/majors/index.html
Have you spoken to your D about the situation and explained that USC is unfortunately unaffordable?