how to pay for college if financial aid doesn't cover everything

How much will you owe in August for each of your options? Do you have enough money on hand to pay it? If not, do you have a job and enough hours to earn it?

Did you talk with the advisors at ULL to see if they have something similar to the major you want? Computer majors have different names but the courses can be similar. If UKL is in commuting distance your Pell and the $12.5k federal loan for independents might cover the cost. If those are the only loans you’ll have you’ll finish your last two years with $25k in loans. That’s not horrible.

@myos1634 will probably have good advice. My concern for you is that at Nicholls you have a loan of $12k/year and a $4700 gap with no way to pay. You can’t work enough to raise the money and your family can’t help. At LSU you get a tuition waiver, but only for a year. And your housing is contingent on cousins being able to let you stay. If that falls through you plan to get an apartment. Even if the housing works out, how will you cover your share of expenses plus tuition, car insurance, and personal expenses? You said you can’t work more than 15 hours/week while you’re in school. That won’t be enough. I think you need a solid plan for how to pay for the next 2 years before you commit to transfer.