Started my masters at Georgia Tech [1] this summer. Still in the first semester, but really enjoying so far. Just not much spare time on nights and weekends, but it helped me cut down the time spent on social/news/etc.
The program is massive (like, 1500+ students in my ML4T [1] class alone; the largest in GT's history), but academically rigorous, with a supportive community, active discussion forums, cool projects, and a small army of TAs. And very affordable, compared to all other programs out there.
It takes a long time for them to process applications, but they seem to honor their deadlines. I got my invitation a few days before the "you should hear from us until this date", and know other folks were on the same boat.
Hope your friend gets their invitation soon.
[1] https://omscs.gatech.edu/cs-7646-machine-learning-trading
Having said that, like anything in life, you get what you put in. And at least in the case of GT, their online program is exactly the same they have on campus; same content, same projects, same academic rigor. The only difference is that on-campus has many more classes to choose from.
Of course YMMV. I don't really care about the degree itself; doing it for purely personal enrichment.