Looking at Lafayette, https://louisiana.edu/academics/majors-degrees/college it appears that the majors you’re interested in are not in the College of Engineering, but are in the School of Computer Science and Informatics within the College of Science. The major is Informatics, and Business Informatics and Systems Administration are just sub-concentrations within that major. The website says, “Based on your choice of career path, you can choose a concentration that fits your interests, or you can design your own curriculum” - so that aspect sounds flexible - the important question is whether the Informatics major, in general, is going to be available to you. (I’m just concerned that if you’re thinking this is an engineering major, you might be directing your communications incorrectly.)
There is also a Business Analytics concentration within the Business major in the College of Business Administration - some of the coursework overlaps with Informatics, so compare how well each option would dovetail with the CC coursework you have taken. https://business.louisiana.edu/programs/minors-concentrations/business-concentrations
It does seem as if going far from home is going to be a big, high-risk project to accomplish on a short timeline. (I tend to agree with those who suggested that if getting away from home is the goal, establishing yourself in the new place first, with a pet-friendly apartment and a job, and waiting a semester or two to start school, would probably be smart so as not to bite off more than you can chew and/or run out of money.) Congrats on being accepted to Lafayette - that gives you a good and fully attainable option. If you’re not specifically accepted into Informatics, are you accepted into a different major? (Is it possible that you’re actually accepted into the University College program? https://universitycollege.louisiana.edu/prospective-students )
You do not necessarily have to do the full major in Informatics or Business in order to get into those fields. There is a minor* in informatics: https://informatics.louisiana.edu/informatics/informatics-minor and also a business minor for non-business majors https://business.louisiana.edu/programs/minors-concentrations/business-minor-non-business-majors . So you could start out in a more general liberal arts type major (or General Studies if your offer of admission is from that program), and begin working toward adding a minor. You can have a goal of switching into the major, but even if that doesn’t pan out, graduating with a different major and a minor in informatics or business wouldn’t be so bad - you could still get the skill-set you need to be employable in your area of interest.
Yet another route into informatics, if the undergraduate path proves too steep, is to complete your undergrad degree in whatever major you can finish most quickly, and transition into the Informatics masters program. The GPA requirement for admission is a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework - so your early mis-steps won’t matter. The informatics masters is an entry-level program open to students with a bachelor’s in any field: https://informatics.louisiana.edu/sites/computing/files/Master%27s%20in%20Informatics%20Catalog%20Curriculum%20%28FINAL%2C%202017.05.21%29_0.pdf So… if you find out that getting through the undergraduate informatics degree is going to take a significantly longer than graduating with a less specialized degree, compare the total amount of time and money side-by-side and weigh whether the BA/BS+MS might get you a higher degree without actually putting in a lot more time. The masters program would take no more than two years, possibly less if you get a head start on the coursework as an undergrad… so if an Informatics BS were going to take two or three additional semesters compared to the most efficient major possible, that’s not a huge difference in time commitment.
Basically… as you note, time is running short and you really don’t have a viable plan for relocating, nor family support to do so. It seems as if you should probably stay put and focus on maintaining momentum as far as your academic success. I think the other schools you are looking at are going to turn out to be red herrings at this stage, when you have a good bird-in-the-hand. What you need to do is get yourself to an advisor ASAP and figure out what the best path at Lafayette will be, for your goals.
Informatics Program contact info:
Oliver Hall Room 222
Phone: (337) 482-6768
Email: informatics@louisiana.edu
The Business school states:
All entering transfer students should be advised for their initial semester in the Office of Student Services. At this first advising session a credit evaluation will be prepared on all transfer work to be used by the faculty advisor during advising for subsequent semesters. Transfer students should contact Ms. Taylor Bourgeois, (337) 482-6491, in the Office of Student Services.
Hope that helps you with sorting things out. The website isn’t as crystal-clear as it could be. 