Affordable engineering schools in lower midwest

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am trying to find some more schools that meet my criteria to add to my list (I am admittedly quite picky!). </p>

<p>I live near Kansas City, and want to stay fairly close to home, within a 5 or 6 hour drive. That means schools in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Southern Illinois, or Eastern Colorado.</p>

<p>I do not want to be in a large city. A small city or suburb (less than 100,000 people) would be great. I would prefer the school to be mid-sized, between 5,000 and 10,000 students. </p>

<p>I plan to major in Engineering, but I'm not really sure what discipline yet, so a school with many choices would be ideal. Small class size & low faculty/student ratio are pretty much must-haves. I'm not really concerned with prestige or rank, I just want a solid school. </p>

<p>Cost is a pretty important factor. My mom isn't able to contribute much (a couple thousand a year at the very most) so I want a school with good need-based aid, or a school where I am likely to earn merit-based aid. I am a KS resident for tuition purposes. </p>

<p>I would like a school with good sports. I absolutely love to go to watch games and I would like to participate on intramural teams. I don't plan to join a sorority so Greek life isn't important to have. </p>

<p>Stats:
4.042 weighted / 3.92 unweighted GPA
30 ACT (aiming for 32 on retake in September if that makes a difference)
19/164 for class rank
Don't have many academic honors, but I've been on Honor Roll all six semesters, I've received an academic letter all 3 years, I'm an AP Scholar (not many at my school earn it).
I have one of the more rigorous schedules at my school, 3 AP classes junior year, 4 senior year plus a concurrent enrollment class. </p>

<p>ECs:
Club Softball (20+ hours/week, year round, all 4 years)
JV Softball (15 hours/week, 3 months, 9th & 10th grade)
Marching Band (7 hours/week, 4 months, 9th-11th grade)
Concert Band (5 hours/week, 5 months, 9th-11th grade)
Scholar's Bowl (5 hours/week, 5 months, 12th grade)
Special Olympics Volunteer (16 hours summer before 12th grade)</p>

<p>For schools that require it, assume an okay personal essay, one really, really awesome LOR and one decent LOR. </p>

<p>Right now, Missouri S&T is my top choice and University of Kansas is my main academic/financial safety. I've looked at a few others, including UIUC and Washington StL, but not sure if they'd be affordable and that concerns me. Not sure if I'd get in either, they both seem to be reaches. Any other suggestions would be GREAT! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>If I were you, I would register at ■■■■■■■■■■ and use their search guides to find colleges that fit into your specific needs. It is a very useful tool and has TONS of information on financial aid, admissions, reviews by students, etc. there are also a lot of filters that you can apply to see only colleges with engineering majors in the Midwest for example…you can go very in depth. </p>

<p>Good luck!:)</p>

3

<p>Have you run net price calculators on the various schools under consideration?</p>

4

<p>@ucbalumnus Yes, I’ve run the net price calculators, but I can’t really rely on them. </p>

<p>2012 was a <em>very</em> crazy year for taxes and I know the information I use on the net price calculator from taxes in 2012 will not be at all similar to our situation in 2013. So I’m not sure how accurate/helpful they are.</p>

<p>@npswimmer44 thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely check it out!</p>

5

<p>Would you be able to estimate the 2013 numbers to put in the net price calculators? You may want to try that to see what they come up with. Of course, if your family’s income is unpredictable or variable, or is from complex sources like a small business (as opposed to mainly being from a known amount of wage and salary), the net price calculators may be less accurate.</p>

<p>If need-based aid is too unreliable or unpredictable, you may want to look at these threads:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-18.html#post15895768[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-18.html#post15895768&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-2.html#post15889078[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-2.html#post15889078&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Thanks! I will definitely check those out!</p>

7

<p>Can’t say enough good about Missouri S&T - We hire from them on a consistent basis and when my nephew visited, they informed him their average salaries for Engineering grads were in the 70s…Not a bad way to start out life.</p>

8

<p>With your ACT and being an engineering major, Bama would give you free tuition plus 2500 per year. </p>

<p>Are you low income? Would you qualify for federal grants?</p>

<p>I have driven from Bama to Kansas City, KS many times…it is farther than your stated limit, but it’s not a bad drive at all.</p>

<p>Bama is in Tuscaloosa, a city of just under 100,000 people, so not too big and not too small. </p>

<p>Bama has a beautiful and new Science and Engineering Complex…</p>

<p>Pics of the new Science & Engineering Complex begin on page 6, Student housing pics begin on page 12.</p>

<p><a href=“Titanium Chef | Home”>Titanium Chef | Home;

9

<p>

[Missouri</a> S&T Full Time Average Annual Salary](<a href=“http://career.mst.edu/salaryhiring/salary/index.html]Missouri”>http://career.mst.edu/salaryhiring/salary/index.html)</p>

<p>Anyway, apply to both KU and K-State as safeties. I think you’d have a shot at good merit aid at Missouri State - check it out. These are a bit bigger than you asked for but I think you might be pleasantly surprised.</p>

10

<p>Might I suggest SEMO - AMAZING merit aid. I’m going on an automatic full ride for 33 ACT / 3.9 GPA.</p>

<p>Right now, you’d be eligible for automatic full tuition there. They have computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering, along with a pre-engineering program that is identical to the curriculum at Missouri S&T. Worth checking out. Cape Girardeau (40,000 people, I believe) gives a small town feel, but anything you could ever need is available. Plus, the campus is lovely. :)</p>

11

<p>Southeast Missouri State has only the following ABET accredited degree programs:</p>

<p>Computer Science
Engineering Physics
Engineering Technology</p>

<p>(not more specific engineering majors like Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering)</p>

<p>[Accredited</a> Programs details](<a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=822]Accredited”>http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=822)</p>

12

<p>SIU in Carbondale has several accredited programs
[College</a> of Engineering | SIU](<a href=“http://engineering.siu.edu/]College”>http://engineering.siu.edu/)</p>

<p>It is a little bit bigger than you described, but it’s not overly large.
As a MO resident, you would recieve instate tuition and you would be a good canidate for their Chancellor’s Scholarship and their Research Rookies program if you are interested in that.</p>

13

<p>Here is the ABET list for SIU-Carbondale
[Accredited</a> Programs details](<a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=108]Accredited”>http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=108)
and I forgot to mention SIU- Edwardsville
[Accredited</a> Programs details](<a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=109]Accredited”>http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=109)
at SIUE you could get a full ride with your stats
[SIUE</a> Admissions - Scholarship Opportunities](<a href=“http://www.siue.edu/admissions/admissions-scholarships.shtml]SIUE”>http://www.siue.edu/admissions/admissions-scholarships.shtml)</p>

14

<p>Mizzu Rolla or whatever they call it now. Or KSU is very good.</p>