Best New England business Mixed Incomes parents. B Student with 1400's SAT [MA resident, 3.09 GPA, 1420 SAT, business, <$30k, divorced parents]

[AustenNut]

I am very sorry for the difficulties your family is going through right now. In order to help offer potential solutions, here are a couple of clarifying questions:

@MAScout

I also was wrong about my son’s grades. It looks like he is an A/B student not a B student . So maybe he has a better chance at some schools.

What is your son’s GPA now?

@MAScout

Yes, we can afford UMass. As a matter of fact, the parents are able to contribute from 529‘s their agreed upon third. My son does not have his third as agreed to in the separation agreement…
So somehow my son is going to have to come up with $50,000 for umass over 4 years. I believe the most he can take out on subsidized loans over four years is $27,000?

Am I understanding correctly that the father is supposed to pay 1/3, you’re supposed to pay 1/3 (and you have 529 funds sufficient to do so), and that your son is supposed to pay 1/3? Or are all of these 1/3 of the UMass costs? So if UMass-Amherst costs about $31k, that the father would pay a little over $10k, you would pay a little over $10k, and your son would be responsible for paying a little over $10k. Then, if your son went to a university that was more expensive than UMass-Amherst, that the difference would need to come from scholarships or other aid?