I can’t say this enough – you MUST do your research with a financial planner here. We don’t have all the answers and we definitely aren’t fit to provide official advice. What we CAN do is point you to some resources, and some things to consider. 

First of all, the numbers we have in our School Database are ESTIMATES. We manually calculate these numbers, some include housing, some don’t, some include fees etc. And not to mention, some programs actually provide grants and those numbers can be even lower. 

Some programs will cover cost of housing, others will not. So you may end up owing a LOT more than what’s listed on their site.  Also, you need extra money for vacations, unexpected expenses (new car etc), or unexpected expenses that you don’t know about. 

Most people will take out federal loans. You’ll get a disbursement a few days before each semester as a lump sum to hold you through the next semesters disbursement of funds. Other people have taken out private loans as well. A frequently asked question is – how much should I have saved? Well, as much as you can. Remember, some loans accrue interest as soon as you take the loan out. So that means, if you take out 50k your first semester, that accrues interest for THREE years. So, maybe a good option might be to pay a chunk up front if you can – check with your financial advisor depending on what loan type you take out. But remember, interest accruing is reaaaal.