The first school that came to mind is Appalachian State . This would be an extremely likely admit for your son. There are about 19k undergrads and he’ll find some of the school spirit here. Additionally this is towards the northern end of the south, so it seems closer to what he was wanting geographically as well.
There are a number of majors that suit his interests:
- Community & Regional Planning
- Geography: BA, BS general, and BS GIS
- Building Sciences also has 3 options: Architectural Technology & Design, Construction Management, and Sustainable Building Systems
I suspect he would be competitive for some serious merit aid (up to, and including a full ride). And even if he doesn’t get a penny, costs should be less than $40k/year.
I’ll continue to think about other options.