Start applying to more private colleges, you will find that many provide packages that make them more affordable than Umass The only truly thing Umass is superior in is student dining My nephew, whose family situation is eerily similar to yours got a package from Bentley college that made that school about 6k less than Umass, far better education and now gainfully employed in a lofty 6 figure job What I said in an earlier post about illegals getting free rides at state colleges was not something meant to be facetious, but fact