General Discussion

...was close to 60K.

My wife heard they gave generous scholarships so I took him to the open house. During the presentation and tours, I saw that he loved the place, but I felt really bad as I knew I couldn't afford it.

Nevertheless he applied and my wife carefully prepared our financial information sheets and my son kept in contact with the engineering department of interest, material science, faculty and grad students he met, as did I, engaging them when possible without being overly solicitous.

Even though they made it clear that no one got a full free ride at the events we attended, he basically ended up with a deal that was actually way cheaper than a public university. He's finishing graduate school debt free because of stipends and help from our family, after some bridge loans. They, his University, an excellent school, made it possible.

I have made sure to tell him he has a responsibility if he does well financially to pay it forward by contributing generously to his Alma mater and the scholarships they award.

I'm not sure this would be possible today in the age of the orange pedophile, but my message is don't lose hope if confronted by the numbers. Engage. A good university will invest in its students under the right conditions. Don't give up the ship if the "ship" is a prospective student at a good university. Above all, pay it forward.