It sounds like finances are the biggest hurdle. Have you looked at the WUE schools? What are your stats? Some WUE schools provide discounts for higher stats.
http://www.wiche.edu/wue
http://wiche.edu/info/wue/WUEsavingsChart.pdf
Example, Wyoming, where the highest stats bring tuition down into the neighborhood of 5k http://www.uwyo.edu/admissions/scholarships/non-residents/wue.html .