<prompt> Human: So I am going to graduate in March 2016 with a B.S. in Computer Science. I attend Cal Poly Pomona, in Southern California and live locally. My parents have always stressed how important it is to try and stay debt free and so far I have managed to get through school by using some money from my grandparents that they saved for me as well as internship money I earned during the summer. The cost of school has been relatively low because I go to a CSU and I am local. However I have found the quality of the education to be so abysmally bad, I have regretted for years going to the school I chose vs applying to better more expensive schools like UCLA, UCI, or even USC. I attend a lot of events at USC and I sit in on some classes every now and then and honestly, the kids at that school get such a better education! Well anyway, I am thinking about going to grad school and so far I have no debt. I would love to attend USC to get my M.S. in Computer Science, but I do not have nearly enough left to pay for it. If I dont get any fellowships which I am going to apply for or scholarships, is it a good idea to borrow the money for tuition? It would be roughly 43k per year which I know is a lot of money. How long would it take me to pay that back assuming I get a job after school making 100k? Is it worth it to borrow that much money? I am also going to apply to some UCs which would be much cheaper, but I have dreamed of attending USC and would be so happy to get the chance to attend.  <response>: For comp sci - ideally, you shouldnt have to borrow anything. Either get scholarshipsfellowships, or get a job and have your company pay for it for you. 