The most upsetting threads are those where parents REFUSE to allow the students to choose schools that are local and less expensive but “insist” on the big name very expensive Us that neither they nor the student can afford. It’s heartbreaking reading those threads and assuming they are true is an awful way forward for the student. In such cases, there are no good answers short term. The student has to go elsewhere and become independent until age 24 and then apply where s/he can afford avoid crippling debt.