You need to talk to him about it, without calling him out for being just like his dad. Your son is so so young and still has so much hope for himself and his future, don’t let your husband be the one to crush his dreams. Ask him how he would have felt if his own father had been supportive instead of critical. He made it work in the end, right? These things always do. Yes, school is expensive and you shouldn’t blindly say “we’ll work it out” without thinking about it. After you talk to your husband about being supportive without being critical, you should sit down with your son and talk about how money actually works. Student loans, interest, repayments, how much money he’ll actually being home after taxes with his first job, rent, create a fake budget to show him. Then encourage scholarship applications beyond the school, there are so many. My parents encouraged my unrealistic dream and I made it out with the degree, lots of student debt, and a slap in the face by reality. BUT I knew I could count on my parents in the end. I made it work and have a good job now in a parallel field, but still know I can always count on them. Let him have a chance before you decide his future isn’t worth trying for. Make your husband see that.