If you want the civilian route, consider getting an associate's degree at a community college and your private license at the local FBO or flight club before going to university. Almost all universities will waive their core curricular requirement if you have an associates, allowing you to focus on your flight training while there and complete your bachelor's in two years rather than four.

Also, if you are academically solid, going to a community college and getting a 3.5 GPA or better will make you eligible for Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two year colleges. Being a member of Phi Theta Kappa makes you FAR more competitive when applying to universities. It also brings scholarships your way from those universities. Some of the scholarships can be significant - my university waived 50% (yes, FIFTY percent!!) of tuition for Phi Theta Kappa members.

Hope these thoughts can save you money. It's not necessary to graduate from UND or Riddle with 100k student debt in this industry. Don't accept cookie cutter career paths - shop around and find the best option for you.