Yeah, exactly. How could Mila or her family afford steep tuition costs for a college such as ZPR?Mila's story was changed? because if we direct the clues to this point, Mila would be a plot hole. (or something that would need a lot more explanation and mental gymnastics).
However, I think we all bring our own paradigms into the SG world.
I assume college tuition in SG costs a bunch of money based on my own life experience and country of residence.
Yet, I don't recall anything in the game that implicitly states the tuition costing money. The MC, Nami, and Nojiko fret over many expenses... tuition ain't one of them.
Maybe, higher education is state-funded in the SG world and tuition is either very low-cost or free? We just don't have an answer to that question.