that high I'm assuming you're talking about a non-public college. If your SD is a good student there will be some funding/academic scholarship support from the college itself. The price tag will not look quite so terrible but will probably still be higher than an in-state university. Top students end up just paying room and board.

If SD is going into nursing do these colleges have programs for that? 

By entertaining their dreams while knowing they will never come true simply builds up false hopes only to pull the rug from under them. Can't he see how incredibly cruel that is?

Get some friends with college bound kids who don't mind you helping with dorm decor and dorm life tips. 
 

I know I'd take any of my girlfriends up on that offer ..... takes a village to raise these hard headed kids lol

The problem with "easy" money for college is that it allowed the universities and colleges (and other tech schools etc) to pump up pricing.. and often entice students with things that aren't even academic related.. I mean.. state of the art gyms etc.. those are "nice to haves".. not necessary for getting an education are they?

tuition has increased faster than inflation.. and the value of the degrees has dropped.. so it's not always the best way for people to start.

but the education system seems geared to pushing kids through.. with college as a natural next step.  

There are so many kids who attend that do not have near the academic chops to be there.. but they get loans or their parents pay if they have to 

I believe that the ability to get loans or govt money for your studies should be directly related to the ultimate value that degree will provide.

You can't borrow money for degree programs with low success in graduates attaining gainful employment at a rate that would be able to repay said loans.

I am supportive of forgiveness for those students that go into public service roles and commit to them long term (5 years minimum with a percent being written off each year after that until extinguished).. That way, teachers, military, law enforcement etc.. jobs that may not pay top tier can justify working because the job repays their education..   

I also agree that it's kindest to tell your child what is possible and what is not possible for parental support.. they need to understand clearly that dad can't foot the bill for a 70K a year program. period.  and that if they can't get a full ride, that will not be an option.

No one is forced to sign the loan docs.  Borrowers borrow. Lenders lend. School loans have not been forgivable via bankruptcy for decades so borrowers have no reason to whine about repayment.

The background on not being to include school loans in bankruptcy was due to high balance borrows finishing Law School/Med School/etc then taking low paying internships or residencies who then would file bankruptcy to get out from under school loans they could not afford to make payments on during internships/residencies before moving on to very high paying careers.  They get out of their several $HundredK loans and kick off a high earning professional career after residencies.   Congress did not care much for that crap so.... school loans are excluded from bankruptcy forgiveness.  Just some learnings from business law and finance classes I once took.

You retire school loans by paying them off.

It is simple.

The issue for some reason is that so many borrow shit piles of unforgivable school loans to pursue majors that pay shit for nothing.  Poor choices do not warrant loan forgiveness IMHO.

If anything, anyone and everyone who graduated without debt or who paid off their loans should get reimbursed for every Cent they spent before one deadbeat student borrower gets anything.

Also IMHO.

It is better to reward those making wise decisions that make them solid contributors to the economy than reward those making crap decisionso

Nursing is a good choice of major. If she succeeds in completing the degree she can earn a decent living and service her loan debt successfully.  There ar also programs for loan forgiveness for nurses who work in underserved markets.  Loans are payed off by employers after some number of years of service.

My SIL's BIL got his med school loans forgiven under one of these programs after working as an OB/GYN in a rural area for a number of years after Med school.

There are also options for paying for school that do not mean loans. Pay as you go while working full time and going to school part time is one I did that for 7 of my 11 year undergrad program.  I did take out $10K in loans to partially cover the cost of the last 1.5yrs of my Engineering program.  I paid them off in the first year following graduation. 

Society and economies are  seeing the backlash of learn your passion parenting and school guidance  to pursue what you love rather than the prior focus on earning a living.  University education is being demonized, trades are being glamorized.  I have made a very good living leading trade focused organizations and have all the respect in the world for skilled trades workers.  Even with my experience I am very pro university education.   However, aligning it with the ability to pay for it and make a living is the critical success factor in selecting a course of study.

If I were paying for a kid's education I would limit both the choice of where they go to school and the choices of what htey study.  If they choose to go a different route, they can pay for it.  I'll pay for STEM, healthcare or business.  Beyond that, the kid is on their own.

We recently attended my youngest nephews engineering school graduation.  His longhish term GF graduated at the same time in Pre-med/Biology.  She is studying for her MCATs and working in a clinic for a year as she applies for Med School. My nephew accepted a role with a engineering consulting firm making high 5 figures. GF's dad is a successful attorney who will be paying for Med School.  GF's elder sister... is eternally on daddy payroll. She did a BFA in theater and manages costume design, creation, and care for various theater groups.  She can't afford to feed and house herself.  She also insists on living in an extremely expensive city.

But hey, she is doing what she loves. Which I guess anyone can do if they have parents willing to maintain them on the full meal deal mommy/daddy payroll.

Choice of schools and fields of study are an analysis process. Not an emotionall make the fee fees sing decision.

IMHO of course.

I eventually finished my undergrad in engineering. Not because I loved it. I still don't really love it. But because it gave me access to companies and incomes I was interested in.  DW is one of those types who has known what she wanted to study and do from  a young age.  She also is an outlier in that her passion was accounting.  She is truly outstanding at it and it falls in the STEM world so she makes a very good income.

SS's journey education wise may be due to his passion for gaming and a long ago stated desire to do game design.  Not something his mom and were or are willing to pay for. So, the USAF is keeping him focused and guiding his education which is in Computer Science. Once he completes his BSCS (he has is ASCS) and successfully retires from the USAF in less than 7 years he can chase that dream if he chooses.  He will have a crap ton of college money to use from the USAF and since he enlisted from Texas he can go to school for free forever at any public university in Texas for life.

It is a good thing that I did not have that option. I would still be in school since I love school and still do not have a clue what I want to be or do when I grow up.

As for schools, beyond accredidation go with the low cost option.  In the US, regional accredidation by one of the USDE recognized accrediting bodies is what matters.  For some degrees there are also program specific accrediting organizations but it is the regional accredidation that confirms legitimacy.  Public, Private, for profit, non profit, etc... does not delegitimize a school if it is appropriately accredited.  Both my undergrad and my graduate degrees are from for profit private universities.  One was at a brick and mortar campus, the other was online.  I have had a solidly successful career. My brother and I graduated together from both engineering school and grad school. He is a very high earning C suite executive.

Pick wisely on degree flavor and school and a universit education when combined with solid career performance will make for a comfortable life.  It may not be the dream school or the dream degree/career  but there are a bunch of people who have chased unmarketable dreams and ended up broke, under insane levels of school debt, and cannot effectively support themselves.

I did an analysis years ago on maximizing career long income in the trades focused industries.  THe two paths I studied were right out of HS one going into the trades and one going to university.  The optimal outcome was a hybrid career path of both blue collar and white collar progression.  By the time a university student graduates with a Bachelors a trades worker has progressed through a 4 year progression from entry level Helper/Apprentice to Journeyman level while earning several $Hundred K.  While the full time non working college path person has not earned a cent and is competing for entry level roles in the job market.  

If the person starting in the trades also attends college part time while working their helper progression and ultimately as a certified journeman/master craftsperson and completes a Bachelor's degree that returns a maximized early career income and ties in the mid to late career extremely high professional incomes. Combined this maximizes career long income above what a pure trades or pure full time student career start delivers.

Periodically I still get graduation announcements from former employees who I have mentored on this hybrid path.  The eldest finished their BS in their late 60s and now works as a manager.

This model is far less combersome to follow than it used to be.  With the advent of online accredited degree programs that allow people to work full time and attend university in asynchronus 24/7 programs this model is available to just about anyone.