To get a quick estimate for whether an expensive private school will come down in price after financial aid, visit the federal government college scorecard website, enter the school, then click on the + next to Costs
For example, for Bryn Mawr College,
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?211273-Bryn-Mawr-College
The average cost for a family with 30,000 of income is 12,892
Out of that, my guess is 5,500 is your daughter’s federal student loan and 2,000 or so is her work study job.
So, the cost to you the parent would be about 5,500 dollars.
Now, that is before we help you write a financial aid appeal letter detailing the costs of your husband’s illness and any other special circumstances that would help you qualify for even more financial aid.
This is why you should not cross off all the private schools: They can be very generous for the right student.