Man, if you could only time travel once and it was for only long enough to give yourself a kick in the pants... we would accomplish some great things!
Or not -- I'd probably just go back in time and tell myself to mine bitcoins, then take preemptive retirement
I stated $24,000 for tuition, and $14,000 for "cost of living" for the area the school was located in - as far as Penn State ( your IP look up should have nailed me as being in Ohio ), they require 2 years undergraduate study THAN 4 years normal course work @ $31,000 per year tuition ( got to pay off those lawsuits some how ) . LINK
A full college education at a university today is about $100,000. The people saying it's not that expensive!!!! are in-state residents that are getting 2/3rd of their education paid for by the government. If you attend a private university, are an out-of-state resident, or a foreign national then you pay full price.
Do you have any college credit within that last 7 years? (After a while it stops counting and you have to start over.)
Or do you have an associates degree?
Then you can skip the first two years at the university; you have to take placement test, ace them, and have your transcript sent to the university.
So ... your first goal is become a state resident. I believe you have to live in the state for 2 years if you are a US citizen.
If you're not a citizen then you become a citizen first, then a state resident.
Once you are a state resident then you can attend a public university.
Here are the cheap public schools in Pennsylvania: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_Pennsylvania#Pennsylvania_State_System_of_Higher_Education:_State-owned_Master.27s_level_institutions
Bloomsburg is $3,311 per semester.
Ah, somebody is always gonna game the system aren't they? Haha. Mine bitcoins, invest in Google, Apple, or virtually any .com and sell out at the right time.
It's been done before.
Didn't work out so well.
I can sympathize with you. I jut got accepted into graduate school, and the nightmare of scheduling and paying for everything has started all over again for me. You've got lots of good replies already, but I'll add a few points/emphases:
-Be very careful about which schools you're looking at. A lot of traditional 4 year schools, public and private, run mostly on young kids getting federally backed loans which can't be discharged through bankruptcy. That, among other things, edges the tuition higher. If large loans aren't an option for you, then these schools' entire pricing scheme will be off-kilter for you, and they may not have a lot of motivation to help you out unless you're willing to pay the sticker price.
That said, tuition costs vary radically from school to school, and program to program within the school (especially if you aren't going to be living on campus in student housing). Make sure you are looking at schools with respectable degree programs in the field of your interest, and then comparison shop. Look at more than just upfront tuition. You'll also likely want things such as job placement rates for graduates, research opportunities, and other things which are poorly captured by tuition listings. The worst thing you can do is to look only at schools that happen to be near where you already live (excepting public universities, which often offer in-state tuition deals to residents).
Also be on the lookout for schools that "bloat" their graduation standards with lots of general education requirements. If you only need 60 computer science credits for a comp sci degree, but your school requires you to take an additional 80 credits in non-comp sci classes you'll end up burning money and time on stuff you don't care about at that school. Unrelated classes can be great and mind-broadening, but it's also quite a luxury at modern prices.
-Check how the tuition is calculated. Some places have weird pricing schemes, but the most common display (from my own experience) is of the tuition rate for a student taking a full course load each semester. Sometimes other costs, like student housing are included, but this runs the other way as well. Often, things like lab fees aren't made clear until you've already signed up for a course unless you make a special effort to ask about them.
-Ask about scholarships and other assistance. You don't always have to rely on loans from banks to finance your education. Many schools, especially private schools, have great tuition assistance programs that are only discussed with applicants who ask about available assistance. This includes work-study programs, too.
-Get away from the "typical timeline". Most bachelor's-degree programs are designed for four-year courses of full-time study (even though at a lot of schools average graduation times are closer to 5 or 6 years of schooling). That may not work for you because of cost, time, or any number of other reasons. But there's no particular reason that you can't plan on a 6 year graduation schedule, taking a lighter (and therefore cheaper) course load while allowing yourself time to work so that you can pay for it. It can also pay off in making sure that you have enough time to dedicate to your studies. With a bachelor's degree, your GPA might matter a lot, and your independent work (usually internships and shared authorships at the undergrad level) is crucially important.
-Ask about transferring credits. You've mentioned that you have several certifications. Some of these might be accepted for credit (sometimes only half credit, but every bit helps) at the schools you are looking at. When this is the case, it automatically saves you money on tuition and time on earning the degree. You should watch out for schools that accept certifications as "pass only" credit (you get credit for the course, but your transcript marks you down as having a non-letter passing grade), not because that's a huge issue, but because you don't want to be surprised by it later if it doesn't suit your plans.
-Finally, consider moving outside the US for school. The US is uncommonly expensive for post-secondary education by a wide margin, but aside from the mega-reputation schools (Harvard, Yale, etc.) the schools aren't any "better" (in terms of education received or name-brand-cachet) than many schools in other countries. You can save big over US schools just by driving to Canada or a nice South American school. Getting a student visa might be irritating, but I doubt it would be worse than asking banks for loans.
You can save big over US schools just by driving to Canada
Your mileage may vary by institution, however, as international students once again pay full price - There might not be much of a difference between going to an out-of-state US school, and a Canadian one. It can run around 20k for a year of Undergrad, plus purchasing mandatory health insurance, and part of your visa process will be proving you have the money for living expenses.
A full college education at a university today is about $100,000. The people saying it's not that expensive!!!! are in-state residents that are getting 2/3rd of their education paid for by the government. If you attend a private university, are an out-of-state resident, or a foreign national then you pay full price.
Make sure your comparison shopping includes out-of state schools.
That said, tuition costs vary radically from school to school, and program to program within the school (especially if you aren't going to be living on campus in student housing). Make sure you are looking at schools with respectable degree programs in the field of your interest, and then comparison shop.
In states with expensive state schools (Pennsylvania is one of those states) be sure to look out of state as well.
The out-of-state tuition at some schools can still be much cheaper than the in-state tuition of the expensive locations.
Simple example from the links earlier:
Out-of-state tuition+fees for USU: $9436 for full time. Or x3 = $28308 per year. That is still $10K less per year than the OP's stated costs, or $40K total cost difference over four years.
Out-of-state tuition+fees for WSU: $6655 for full time. Or x3 = $19965 per year. That is $20K less per year than the OP's stated costs, or $80K total cost difference over four years.
Repeat this for many other metro areas around the country. Move to a cheaper location for a few years, the education is still valid.
There is no need to go a tithe-of-a-million dollars in debt for education. If you happen to live in a city that only offers expensive education options, move away for a few years.
Make sure your comparison shopping includes out-of state schools.
That said, tuition costs vary radically from school to school, and program to program within the school (especially if you aren't going to be living on campus in student housing). Make sure you are looking at schools with respectable degree programs in the field of your interest, and then comparison shop.
In states with expensive state schools (Pennsylvania is one of those states) be sure to look out of state as well.
The out-of-state tuition at some schools can still be much cheaper than the in-state tuition of the expensive locations.
Simple example from the links earlier:
Out-of-state tuition+fees for USU: $9436 for full time. Or x3 = $28308 per year. That is still $10K less per year than the OP's stated costs, or $40K total cost difference over four years.
Out-of-state tuition+fees for WSU: $6655 for full time. Or x3 = $19965 per year. That is $20K less per year than the OP's stated costs, or $80K total cost difference over four years.
Repeat this for many other metro areas around the country. Move to a cheaper location for a few years, the education is still valid.
There is no need to go a tithe-of-a-million dollars in debt for education. If you happen to live in a city that only offers expensive education options, move away for a few years.
Also worth noting is that some states will allow in-state tuition for neighboring states, so it's worth being aware of.
You can also consider moving to the state you plan to go to school and making yourself financially independent from your parents. That's non-trivial, but the option could potentially save you/your family tens of thousands of dollars. It might be worth taking on extra debt and supporting yourself or getting financial help from your family after university. Like I said it's difficult, but it's an option worth weighing.
The university I attended currently has a tuition of ~$9,000 for 2 semesters of 15 credits, which is what most students opt for in a year.
Just a heads up - I haven't lived at home since the age of 16 - currently 33 .
As of right now, still no way to get a student loan due to bad credit score ( medical bills ) and low yearly income.
After reading your comments I'm really happy I live in a country (Germany) where higher education is paid by the state. Our students went onto the streets when they introduced comparable low 500€(max) per semester, so they abandoned it again 
. Of course there are still private schools/universities for the people who got too much money.
