I have no idea. $250k for a college degree sounds unreasonable to me. Perhaps at Harvard or other Ivy the cost is outweighed by the connections made that can turn into $ in the future. But at Williams or Amherst, not so sure.
I know the kids that I hire from time to time struggling with loan debt at a $50k per year job means years of pain...
If your family can get need based $, the true cost is far less. There are net cost calculators on most of the college sites that give you a potential number...If you can get nescac at $25k (state school cost) then it is no brainer...
