Just to elaborate: Almost every single state has at least one reputable state school were things are absolutely affordable. In Colorado (where I live) you can

Just to elaborate: Almost every single state has at least one reputable state school were things are absolutely affordable. In Colorado (where I live) you can attend Metropolitan State for something like $15,000 for four years of school. That's a car payment. University of Colorado Denver is something like $20,000 for the same degree. The flagship school is closer to $40,000 for the same degree. The Colorado School of Mines (an outstanding engineering school) is in the same range. That's not a huge amount of money either. Just a nicer car payment. note: Those figures include books, but not room and board. I went to college in Arkansas for a lot less than that (they hand out scholarships like candy). College costs have gotten out of control on the high end. You don't have to go to MIT, Harvard, or NYU. In state tuition is still really affordable for what you get out of it.