I'm going to be brutally honest.
If he cant even answer emails in a timely manner, what makes you think he belongs in a high achieving, high stress, demanding enviroment like a upper echelon college?

What makes you think he even wants that at all?

Have you even asked him of what he wants? I can assume there's some avoidance on his part and his answers are probably "I dont know..." and that might genuinly be the truth, he doesnt know, but he might also know that college isnt the place he wants to be in a years time.

Sorry if I come off as a bit antagonistic here, but it seems to be more worrying about his future standing in society rather than his well being and happiness.

I'm sure there is some worry that he'll end up like some couch potato and you're right in giving him some push, but you must first make sure you're pushing him in the appropriate direction. You can lead a horse to water, but you cant force it to drink.

Unless your son have any direction or drive for college/uni, it's just going to be a waste of money, a waste of a year and a dejecting failure that your son have to experience that will deter him from higher education in the future.