You don’t need to demonstrate financial need for the student to be eligible to receive unsubsidized federal loans. Generally a student can borrow $5500, $6500, $7500 and $7500 over the 4 years. How much is offered can be affected by the cost of attendance and any other finaid the student receives. It may be that the COA at the CC is why unsub loans may not have been offered there but I would think for the university some amount would have been offered. Federal loans are in the student’s name.
That’s just some technical info but it doesn’t sound to me, and you are the best judge, that he’s mature enough to be taking on any debt for his education at this point and I wouldn’t consider cosigning for private loans in excess of the federal loans he can borrow in his name.