Is it normal to pay for an entire year of college ahead of time?

I was looking into robert morris in chicago and was a little surprised when i found out that they wanted me to pay for the entire year ahead of time...so my financial aid didn't really cover anything so then i would need 2 take out a almost 10,000 loan(this would be per year(this doesnt even include my books!)and im going for 4years!) Is this a good idea im thinking about continuing at a community college! Can someone help PLS im confused!