If he’s serious about doing this, I’ll call Columbia. People do expect to pay something to end up with a masters degree, and especially one from a good school like Columbia. I would imagine having a masters degree in Computer Engineering from Columbia would put him in a good position to get some decent job offers, so taking on some expense (he could even take some personal loans), might be more justified in this situation, than say, for an undergraduate degree from another university. But we wouldn’t want him or me to end up $100,000 in debt or anything, so it’s still got to be a manageable amount.
Also, I would have plenty of time to try to get the finances worked out beforehand. My income fluctuates, so I may not be making too much money at that time. If my income was low enough to qualify for FAFSA, perhaps we’d get more aid. (We are sort of borderline for financial aid as it is…In 2014 I made just enough to not get any federal aid, but I’m also a divorced mom with a lot of expenses, so we are not truly wealthy by any measure). I’ll be sure to talk to my CPA about this, if this looks like an option.
Thanks for the input! 