Is it kind of foolish for someone who got into Clemson and can afford it later on to go to USC?

I know a guy who it will take him 2 1/2 years to finish at Clemson but he seems to be stingy he is not willing to take a loan of about $20,000 more his first year even though he will graduate a semester shorter and will be able to get scholarships through financial aid, his department college, and his department, and outside the school if he does well his first semester. He is willing to go to University of South Carolina to do bioengineering even though Clemson is ranked in the top 40 and USC is not ranked.