+1 this. This was the route I took. I'm old now, so my experience is maybe less relevant. But the price difference seems even more extreme now. I also think it

+1 this. This was the route I took. I'm old now, so my experience is maybe less relevant. But the price difference seems even more extreme now. I also think it's worth a real discussion about what your son hopes to gain out of a college education. If the value for him is more vocational, then this strategy above seems almost like a no-brainer. If he's hoping to get that kind of intangible university life experience, community college probably isn't going to deliver.