Even if he gets into Berkeley, the cost is too outlandish for it to be a rational option for a degree as ridiculously employable as CS. Sure, Silicon Valley has a lot of tech jobs. So does Atlanta. So does Dallas…and he can buy a house in those places. I can tell you as a programmer myself, that it makes zero difference where he graduates. In fact, after three years experience, employers won’t even ask where he went to school. It sounds like he’s really hung-up on prestige based on a lot of misconceptions. He could just as easily go to GSU and do just as well in his career as he could going to Berkeley or GA Tech.