We don't know that he went to Columbia for undergrad, but if he did, all Ivy League schools waive tuition entirely for students from families below a certain income level. Columbia's current (since 2008) limit to completely waive tuition/room/board/mandatory fees is annual income of $60,000 or less, with lesser levels of assistance from the school itself for incomes up to $100,000.
Wards of the court (orphan or otherwise) have increased eligibility for federal financial aid (including loans and grants), additionally, they (obviously) don't have parents' incomes to consider when meeting financial limits on income-based aid.
Additionally, there are a LOT of private and public scholarships available to people with disabilities.
Lastly, with him having lived in a church-run orphanage, it's likely that he would have had access to aid from the church as well.
Certainly, he may not have sought any assistance. He is Jack Murdock's son, after all. But if he wanted help, it's incredibly unlikely that he wouldn't have been able to get a lot of it.
Re: Little Fisk met little Matt
Wards of the court (orphan or otherwise) have increased eligibility for federal financial aid (including loans and grants), additionally, they (obviously) don't have parents' incomes to consider when meeting financial limits on income-based aid.
Additionally, there are a LOT of private and public scholarships available to people with disabilities.
Lastly, with him having lived in a church-run orphanage, it's likely that he would have had access to aid from the church as well.
Certainly, he may not have sought any assistance. He is Jack Murdock's son, after all. But if he wanted help, it's incredibly unlikely that he wouldn't have been able to get a lot of it.