Is there a specific reason he chose Berks as his alternate campus?
have you looked into Behrend campus? The Behrend campus (Erie) is a very good campus for engineering. In fact, it’s ranked #22 in Mechanical Engineering at schools where a doctorate program doesn’t exist.
Lots of students start there on purpose because the engineering classes can be weed out classes and they are just as good at Behrend but with smaller classes. Behrend is not a commuter campus. There are a lot of dorms on campus and a vibrant campus community there. The enrollment on campus is larger than Berks as well.
It’s in a safe area outside of Erie. Beautiful campus as well. It’s considered a four-year college in its own right with many majors there that UP doesn’t even have.
If my child were looking to go into engineering, Behrend would be the second (or even first!) choice campus for me. Since your son has already been accepted to Berks, he could likely switch to Behrend campus. Also - be aware, tons of students decide to stay at Behrend because it’s such a nice campus - and they have Mech E. as a 4 year or 2+2 program there.
Coming from OOS - I’d suggest Behrend, Altoona or Harrisburg as the only campuses to consider.