You don’t need ERAU or any other high priced college if your goal is to be a pilot. I went to ERAU and regret it, and many do after trying to pay the cost on a CFI or commuter pilot salary. I left there after first year as I realized it would take me 4 years to even finish my commercial pilots ME ....at a cost twice what I could do for elsewhere. Within 1 year after leaving I had all my ratings and about 350 hours working as a cfi (finished degree at local college for a lot less and got credits for my ratings). Within 2 years I was on a commuter, an ATP type rated capt as soon as I turned 23 (could of upgraded earlier but min age for ATP is 23), and at 25 I was flying B727 for a major. My friends who stayed at Riddle were still flight instructing or just getting on with the commuters by the time I was flying jets and had a seniority number. I have ran into several of them over the years and all are way behind me in career progression... some more than 15 years behind due to the ups and downs of economy and furloughs and even a few airline bankruptcies.

another point, I knew two guys that couldn’t fly for medical reasons later in life and had to change professions which their expensive aviation degrees held little value.

you asked for opinions, so here’s mine: start flight training at a well established school that you can finish all your ratings within 1 year and offer cfi job to grads.... some of these CFIs are logging 80-100 hrs/month! It’s expensive, but a lot less than Riddle. Start online degree program with an accredited school (don’t show up for a job interview with a degree from some fake, unaccredited university), and maybe get a 2 year degree ASAP if they offer it.... many schools give you credits for FAA certificates. Important thing is you can say you are working on degree at same time as flying and instructing. Build flight time as fast as you can. Four years later you have, or close to having a Bach degree, all ratings, and an ATP......
when all your ERAU peers will have only 250 hours and about 10 years worth of school loans to pay. One more thing, airlines now place little influence on your degree major, and I don’t recommend putting all your eggs in one basket in this profession.. the 250 or so hours decrease for ATP mins a flight degree saves you will only require additional 3-4 months. You will save a lot of money and advance quicker.

one more thing, while you are in flight school, contact the air national guard units in the area. When I looked into thin in the 1980s they only took previously military pilots and rarely put anyone through flight school. Now they do, and you won’t have a 10-12 year commitment before applying to the airlines.

Hope this helps.