What affordable [<$20k] colleges are possible for my 2.8 student? [NY resident]

[ububumble]

Hello! In skimming this thread, I thought it might be helpful to share a link to the application experience my son had a couple of years ago. He ended high school with a 2.7 (vs. the 2.5 we thought he’d have) and lots of options for college.
The financial parameters we were using are different than what you’re currently outlining but maybe there are some additional thought starters and/or inspiration in here for you.

S21--not an easy path, happy to get some input at this stage

My S21 isn’t your typical CC kid but is finding his way through high school. His executive function and anxiety issues have provided challenges for sure but he’s working through them with the support of a coach. He’s a multi-sport athlete and a kind person. Not a lot of EC’s other than sports (year round). He’s working with a 2.5 GPA right now. Probably won’t change drastically as it’s just hard to make big adjustments mathematically at this stage of the game. He’ll take the SAT for the first time in May. He’s aiming for somewhere around 1000 - 1020. He’s very clear on what he wants to do ultimately and that’s become a high school chemistry or biology teacher. He’s excited for college and has gone on several college tours (as well as tagged along on his older brother’s) to get a sense of what he likes and doesn’t. More to do there but he knows he wants a contained campus–no urban sprawling campus for him–and something under 15,000 students for sure–I worry that big might be a…

Best of luck in the process!