A good education is not cheap, no matter who is paying for it. The average cost per year for a public university is about $15,000 for tuition, room and board. For a private university, it jumps up to $40-$50,000, or more.
There are a lot of ways that costs can better managed -- rather than simply taking out loans.
* Go to community college for the first two years, or at least during the summers. These are much cheaper than traditional four year universities.
* Live at home, if that is possible. Much cheaper than the dorms. And the food is better too.
* Work part-time to offset living expenses (studies show that students that do work learn how to manage their time a lot better too).
* Go to a university with a strong internship or cooperative program. As a result, you will get both on the job training in your field plus a salary. It may take an additional year or so to graduate, but you will do so with a lot less debt - and with more work experience.
* Choose your university wisely. Fisk has a good list of top universities that are considered "best buys" -- see
http://www.collegecountdown.com/special-reports/fiske-guide-to-collges-2015-best-buys.html. Some are public and some are private.
* Choose a major where there's a reasonable chance that you can actually pay back your student loan. In other words, don't rack up $200,000 in student loans and then graduate with a BA in Art History.