I'm not sure if this has been suggested yet and the thread is too long to check.
But have you considered studying abroad? In Germany the living cost is lower than in the US, and the tuition fees are less than $200 per semester. The education is generally better than what you would get at a US college as well. When I talked to friends who study MINT subjects at US Colleges I was quite shocked to find out how much time they waste on very basic garbage (several semesters) that we take out in around a week or less.
Depending on your field of study I would either go abroad for a degree or forfeit a US-based degree entirely. A lot of tech jobs can be reached by doing Nano-degrees on sites such as Udacity. Those are far cheaper and far better preparations for jobs in the tech industry.
The ideal route would be a degree abroad, supplemented with one or more Nanodegrees. US colleges are definitely overpriced and offer very little value in terms of teaching. Unless money is literally a no-brainer for you, avoid the US at all cost regardless of field of study.
But have you considered studying abroad? In Germany the living cost is lower than in the US, and the tuition fees are less than $200 per semester. The education is generally better than what you would get at a US college as well. When I talked to friends who study MINT subjects at US Colleges I was quite shocked to find out how much time they waste on very basic garbage (several semesters) that we take out in around a week or less.
Depending on your field of study I would either go abroad for a degree or forfeit a US-based degree entirely. A lot of tech jobs can be reached by doing Nano-degrees on sites such as Udacity. Those are far cheaper and far better preparations for jobs in the tech industry.
The ideal route would be a degree abroad, supplemented with one or more Nanodegrees. US colleges are definitely overpriced and offer very little value in terms of teaching. Unless money is literally a no-brainer for you, avoid the US at all cost regardless of field of study.
There is no tuition fee anymore (there was for around 3(?) years but people got pretty mad and it was abolished). What you pay are social fees that amount to around 200-250€ per semester depending on university (free use of public transport, eating for a reduced price in the mensa etc pp).
The US basic education is the problem.
For a proper comparison with the german education system you have to look at ivy schools (similar to german gymnasium).
The education base of german, austrian, swiss "gymnasiast" are just superior to that of us americans (non ivy school) that is why german universities teach differently.
And Ivy Schools are way too expensive to really hold a candle to German universities. There are really only two or three cases in which an Ivy League tuition is objectively better than one at a German university. Namely getting a full scholarship, simply not caring about money, or not wanting to study abroad no matter what.
I've had access to the study materials in Cambridge, and we've done the exact same things at my university. The only bonuses are the prestige and perhaps networking, which in most cases won't offset the high tuition fees (in my opinion).
In west germany the social fees are usually around 250 €. You are probaly studying in east germany or maybe you get a discount as a foreign student?
I just wanted to say that quality-wise ivy league schools are atleast on par with german universities.
You are definitely right about the absurd expenses for these colleges.
And yes, Ivy League education itself is definitely among the top as well. It's just hard to justify the price tags given the options.
You are a lucky one with 160 € or the prices got cheaper over the time.
For example in Aachen the fee is ~260€ but overall compared to abroad it is really nothing.
Good education + very low fees + rather low living expenses makes germany a very awesome location to get a higher education especially right now while germany needs new educated workers.
Btw tuition fee of ivy league school per semester: 10.000-20.000 $
German average tuition fee per semester: 200 €
Enjoy college if you go! Study hard and party harder 
