Yes, but the parents don’t seem to be willing to talk with their son about it.
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Yes, we don’t know the reasons - and GMU and Mary Washington are there - and I believe students can get help in Virginia toward tuition and this student can perhaps live at home.
So the community college thing might have another rationale.
We don’t know - which is why OP should dig deeper at to the why - or if they do know, share with us.
UMW, as an example, is about $16K in state. As a commuter, OP would get $2K ($8K if a resident which might make it worth it). So that’s $14K. Might that work?
GMU is also $14K ish ($14220 last year) - not sure of the merit but they have it.
Could it also be that OP gave parents a list of expensive privates (Princeton) but himself is eschewing the local publics? Not saying it’s happening but we really know little except OP is saying - my parents are forcing me to community college.
Until we find out the why, anything else is just guessing - sort of knowing you are bleeding so putting a band aid on the elbow even though it may be the knee that is scraped up.
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OP, try and have an open, honest discussion with your parents to see if you can discover the root of this sudden change in direction with regards to your schooling - is it cultural, financial or some other issue? If after that discussion, your parents are still unwilling to contribute to your schooling (apart from CC), you have a few things you can do - take a gap year and save as much $$$ as possible towards the cost of college, explore ROTC, look into true “full-rides” like the Johnson at W&L or STAMPS (at any number of schools). In the meantime, I’d suggest you get a part-time job so you can start accumulating some money of your own. And of course, many kids are successful starting out at CC and then moving to a 4 year institution for their final 2 years. I assume your parents support your getting a 4 year degree?
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The OP said that Princeton had been their dream college together. So it doesn’t sound like the student had one set of goals and their parents another. Plus OP also said the parents made them not take jobs so they could focus on advanced academics. Sounds aligned with Tiger Parent goals. So this does sound like a 180, which of course could be for health or other non-financial reasons.
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According to Google AI:
Determining the exact financial aid package for a family with a $210,000 income at Princeton is complex and depends on a variety of factors beyond just income, including assets, other dependents in college, and specific family circumstances. However, based on Princeton’s stated policies and recent changes:
- Tuition-Free Threshold: Most families whose incomes are up to $250,000 will pay no tuition at Princeton.
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VA does offer the guaranteed transfer program to any public school in VA after completion of an associate’s degree at a VA CC. The student must meet all the requirements including minimum GPA, which vary among schools but are very reasonable for a good student.
So graduating from UVA, Tech, or William and Mary is an option for this student.
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That’s a great option for the OP!
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OP – would your school nominate you for the Jefferson scholarship at UVA? That would be a full-ride – although I’m sure there is lots of competition, especially for a student from Northern Virginia.
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I’m sorry you’re dealing with such a major shift of expectations, and without a clear explanation.
I agree with others that it would be smart to have a gap year plan in place. You don’t know yet, what is behind this change on your parents’ part, and it may take time to figure it out. As various commenters have said upthread, there could be new financial uncertainty, or even a medical diagnosis that you don’t know about yet. You don’t know whether cost is the issue, or whether wanting/needing you at home is what’s really on their minds. (Although if the latter, you’d think George Mason would be on the table as well.)
What are your academic/career interests?
The forecast for Americorps funding is cloudy, but a funded gap year under that umbrella might be an option to keep in play, in addition to just staying home and getting a job. Depending on your aspirations, there might be something you could train at relatively quickly; for example, if you’re interested in the health professions, you could get certified as a CNA or EMT, and get a job that would pay off in terms of clinical experience as well as allow you to build up financial reserves. If you’re interested in engineering, there may be something more technical you could do that would enhance your resume down the road. It’s hard to think about alternatives when most or all of your friends are going straight to college, but if you play the long game, you’ll find that there are worthwhile options.
The important thing is this: do not start community college unless you are committed to the transfer pathway. Once you take academic classes at a community college (after high school graduation - DE classes while still in HS are different), most colleges will no longer consider you for first-year admissions, so you’ll be closing the door on major scholarship opportunities like those that have been mentioned. So, if you take a gap year, and your parents say, “Why not just take a class or two at the community college along with your job…” the answer is no. Preserve your status as a first-year applicant unless you’ve made a clear decision to go along with the CC transfer pathway (in which case you might as well register full-time and transfer sooner).
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with the CC transfer pathway, especially in a state like VA with such strength in its public university system. But if you go that route, you’ll need assurance that your family can full-pay for your transfer school… and right now you don’t know that. Don’t kick the financial can down the road without more information. There are options that would cost less over four years, than two years of CC and two years at UVA/W&M/VT. You need to know what is really going on vis-a-vis budget.
But pressuring your parents for full disclosure right now seems like it’s not going to work. That’s why planning a gap year is important; you need to give this situation time to unfold.
Tell us more about your interests and goals, and we’ll be able to give better suggestions, both re: colleges and re: gap year options.
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Fantastic advice, especially regarding not taking CC classes during a gap year.
If the OP already took CC classes as a high schooler, that’s okay, right?
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There’s also Richard Bland College, which is a residential two-year college that is administratively part of W&M and has an Honors program, and offers all of the same transfer agreements.
But it is TBD whether wanting OP at home might be the driving factor.
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Yes, Direct Enrollment classes while in high school are different and don’t change first-year admissions status, even for students who have earned a full associate’s degree while in HS. Once you’ve graduated, the rules change.
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Are your parents US citizens or green card holders? Are they worried about (in addition to finances) security staying in the US? Might there be a reason you don’t know about that could cause them to be leaving the country?
Even if you are able to apply to schools that might have full pay scholarships, as @MMRose said, you will have to submit the FAFSA and/or CSS profile.
Sorry this has happened but there is apparently something afoot that they are choosing not to share at this time.
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OP hasn’t returned since their initial post.
Hopefully they’ll come back to answer some of the questions here, or at least take the advice offered.
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This same post is very active on Reddit, and no response from the OP there either.
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It’s been less than a day since the OP. Not everyone reads CC incessantly!! 
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Yes, it is what it is. Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it! I’ll look more into Troy, W&L, and SMU and do more research on other colleges. I’m not a NMF (results come out in Spring Senior Year I believe) and I don’t think I’d even qualify for NMSF since my index is 208 & Virginia’s threshold is 222.
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They want me to study accounting. I’d like to do something in either math or business, I’m not 100% sure though. Are there any related programs for what I’m interested in? I’ll look more into your last two sentences, thank you for your comment!
- My parents didn’t want to elaborate more–I’ll try to ask when the nerves calm down.
- I know VA’s CC system has a 2 + 2 program & will guarantee me admission to a 4 year college as long as I keep up my grades. Not a bad idea if I end up doing CC!
- We never discussed post CC plans. I’ll need to revisit that again with them, but I doubt they would help me after CC since my sibling would start going to college then.
- GMU is pretty close to my house. However, I heard that they’re pretty stingy in scholarships for NoVA kids, so I don’t expect to earn much in scholarships. Unless I get selected for the University Scholars program (~20 kids, full tuition)
- Yes, they’d fully fund my CC education. I’ll be working part time at the same time to cover transportation and anything else I can contribute
I’ll look into 6/7/8, thank you for your comment! I appreciate it.
You sound as if you have good grades as well, but you didn’t actually mention your GPA, which is the single most important factor when looking for merit aid. Could you share this info also? (Both weighted and unweighted if possible.)