“…the challenge is finances.” This is an understatement. This is more than a challenge. With at least $150,000 of debt fresh out of college, you will have no life. And don’t forget interest either.
@MYOS1634 said this earlier: “Don’t count on private loans to pay for 100% of college. That is crazy. This amount of debt would preclude your being hired by most tech companies because it’d make you such a security risk.“
Is your goal to eventually have a job in CS? Then you need to get on the right path to reach the goal. Create a timetable for you and your parents of how you can get to your chosen path using viable options. Advocate for yourself, or enlist the help of a trusted family member or your guidance counselor.
Give your parents irrefutable facts: you cannot afford those loans; you probably can’t get into Iowa or ASU, and even if you can, you cannot afford those loans; UMTC is pretty highly ranked for CS (#20, just below Rice and Harvard, and ABOVE Yale, ASU, Iowa and Iowa State. Google Great Value Colleges) and you CAN afford those loans. You can afford CC. Maybe the other options MYOS1634 mentioned are affordable too. You’re still going to have a lot of debt, but it will be manageable, hopefully.
I do feel that you want to hear what you want to hear. You asked for help and we are trying to be helpful, but you are hung up on “prestige.” Your parents might have mistaken beliefs, but they 100% cannot force you to take out private loans that you do not want to pay. So stick to your guns and say no.
Best of luck to you. I think I’ve said all I can say.