The thing is, she doesn't need a set of pipes to start with - she needs a practice chanter (and an instructor.) She should probably find an instructor first and get the PC that he/she likes, but at any rate, a PC is $45-75 depending on type and where you buy it. She will be 6 months or longer on the PC before going to the big pipes - I would guess the time might be longer since she's also working on a master's, which is likely to cut into practice time. That's 6 months or longer to save up for a set of pipes ....