This seems like a very compelling tuition-free option for a masters in financial engineering you might consider as an alternative: https://wqu.org/programs/mscfe

I might actually check it out in the future... Seems like a pretty solid curriculum for the price.

It's not a direct equivalent to your USC degree. To start, it is not yet regionally accredited, though I believe it likely the WQU program will attain that status in the future. And it's hard to know how great the curriculum and student base is in the program before enrolling. The trade off is that there is no tuition fees whatsoever (costs are all covered by the foundation's founder). So it comes down to a question about your goals and likely prospects after completion. A USC degree will be valuable. But will it be worth the debt you're taking on?

COVID-19 presents a really compelling opportunity to re-evaluate the way we do things in general and education is no exception to that. I'd think very hard about taking on that kind of debt right now. You can most likely elect to delay your matriculation to USC (contact them) and then enroll in some program like WQU to test the waters. If it's good, stick with it. If it's not, you bought some time to arrange a graduate assistantship or to get a position at a company that provides tuition remission subsidies.