You are reading way too much into my statement. I didn’t say that saving money should always outweigh other considerations. I came nowhere close to saying that anyone should force a student to choose the least expensive option.
All other things being equal, it’s better to spend less, is it not? When all other things aren’t equal, then one needs to decide how much they’re willing and able to pay for the value-added of a more desirable option. I didn’t think that identifying cost savings as a “pro,” when weighing pros and cons, would be a controversial statement.