He can pay more if he wants to, but he doesn't have to. It's a shame her parents aren't helping out. Her boyfriend of 9 months shouldn't be paying her way through college.

It's perfectly normal to take out a little bit of student loans. I'm not telling her to go 6 figures in debt, I'm saying it isn't a disaster to do it so she can live a normal life during her college years.

You don't seem to understand that she can't save much on rent. It's contingent on her boyfriend giving up his apartment because she wants to downgrade to a smaller place. If she moved out of her boyfriends and has to find something on her own, there's no way she's going to find something for less than 500$/month.

Like I've said before. She should focus on getting good grades and launching her career rather than penny-pinching.