^^Open what doors? As been stated many times on CC, your UG degree only matters for your first job. After that, it’s all about you. High achieving UA kids are recruited by top tier engineering companies just like high achieving graduates from other school, except maybe the high end consulting and wall street jobs. It really is not very meaningful in the overall scheme of things for an engineer’s career when you look back on it years from now.
I’d say “first good job”.
And that first good job can be one of the hardest to get.
And in terms of engineering, that first job is not going to really depend on the university attended. I have shared numerous times on CC that our oldest ds attended a small public tech university. He co-oped alongside students from schools like GA Tech, VA Tech, and NCSU. At graduation, all 4 students students were not offered jobs by that corp, but my ds was, even though he attended a school only ranked regionally and not nationally. Obviously that corp was far more focused on actual performance than where the co-op students attended school. (Of course they recruited co-op students from ds’s university b/c the school is well respected in industry, though CC posters would probably warn students to run the other way b/c it is no where “ranked” close to Alabama. 
)
FWIW, he did not go to work for that company when he graduated (though that was not an easy decision, b/c he thought it was a great company.) He works for a top 10 global chemical company. He was hired in at the same salary that all 1st time engineers are hired in at. He works with chemEs from across the “university” spectrum. Performance is what controls where they go within the corp, not school name.
I also challenge @rjkofnovi - there are many things that go into a company extending a job offer to a student fresh out of UG engineering program. If the program is ABET accredited - that is a key factor.
If a student has work history, varied jobs with good references, interned or co-op in industry - those are helpful. Sometimes a particular project or class is helpful - working in radar, or other specialized areas. H had test engineering project and was hired into test engineering for major firm with his EE degree.
DD worked for a top 10 ‘best places to work’ civil eng firm already, and is now going to intern with a very large construction firm (international) - they were very selective on their interns.
The cream rises to the top. The cream is spread all over in various schools across the country.
And companies may pay differently for COL for where the job will be, but they won’t pay more based on what tuition costs at a particular school.
u of m because they have a great chemical engineering program!
Mom2aphysicsgeek, there is no doubt that companies recruit across multiple campuses, some great, some mediocre. Talented students can be found anywhere.
But I do not think job placement alone should be the deciding factor. Overall quality of the institution, strength of the program, institutional resources, cultural fit (on and off campus), intellectual experience etc…should also play a large role. Alabama and Michigan are not peer institutions. For students who cannot afford Michigan, Alabama may be a very good option. But for middle income and high income families in the state of Michigan, the University of Michigan is probably the best collegiate option they have.
@alexandre I have not posted anywhere in this thread giving an opinion as to where the OP’s child should attend. I have not said they were “peer institutions.” I have not made one comment about UM at all.
I have simply shared information. UA’s chemE dept has had several Goldwater Scholars over the past decade. Reading those student profiles provides info about the UG research they are participating in. And I contradicted @insanedreamer’s suggestion that lower ranked institution graduates would not be able to get good first jobs. (And that ds attended an even much lesser known school than UA.)
As for the rest, I have made no comment. But, for the OP, I will share my ds has found wonderful, gasp intellectual peers. He is surrounded by high achieving students with whom he has made great friends. (Granted, intellectual experience is completely subjective. He is attending UA, so apparently that is telling. 
) His freshman yr he took ECE 340 and 440 (electromagnetics and electromagnetic waves), MTH 371 and 355 (advanced linear alg and probability), etc. He finds himself challenged and this semester (2nd semester sophomore) quantum 2 has been extremely challenging. Next semester he is taking 3 grad level physics courses along with 2 UG courses. He will be graduating with his masters in physics along with his bachelor’s in math and physics. But, bc he attends UA, he obviously has no real idea what really quantifies an “intellectual experience.”
A middle income family or upper middle income family in MI with a high stat student will find UA to be a better financial choice while also getting the education in the ABET accredited field of engineering. UM in-state is not a ‘deal’ as noted in this thread.
There are many things that rank a school that may not be so relevant.
How much debt or what kind of a financial stretch for the family is an important factor. It was a very important factor to us.
The student and the parents have to decide what is the best fit for them.
I cannot tell you what a financial burden is off our backs due to the scholarships, and the money and state college program fees we had pre-paid to have our kids get through school. One doesn’t want to rob money that should/could go to retirement planning or paying off the home mortgage. I survived stage III cancer - so our family had max copays and deductibles for four years; thankfully I responded to everything thrown at the cancer and I am now cancer free. One doesn’t know what could happen during the student college years that can strain a family’s resources. Having extra money available is never a bad thing - one less stress on the family.
At a large flagship, there is going to be intellectual peers - especially with a sizable honors college and honors programs.
UA is not a “deal” though for a kid from Michigan if that is not where the kid wants to go. I would imagine there are kids that grow up in Michigan who really want to go to Michigan ( or MSU , etc.) and they and their parents are happy to have that happen, despite the fact that they may have been able to get a better “deal” financially elsewhere. . It is a really personal choice that every family makes in terms of how much to spend for college. I would have been happy to have my older kid look at Pitt because they were offering tons of merit money at the time for kids with his stats and we have family there. I mentioned the idea of looking closely at Pitt but he said he preferred to go to UVa, we could pay with some sacrifice (and some help from him by working every summer and taking minimal loans), so case closed. We still considered instate tuition at UVa and Virginia Tech a “deal.” and a bargain compared to pricier alternatives. But when I see these kinds of threads about going the merit route at places like UA, I do admit to feeling a twinge that we paid instate cost for 2 kids. I know I could do a lot right now if I had that money back! But they enjoyed their college years so really have no regrets. UA sounds great though and a great opportunity. If a kid really doesn’t want to go to or doesn’t particularly care about going to their own state school , (or the money isn’t there to do so),it sounds like a wonderful alternative, and certainly a great “deal” for families that want and/ or need merit aid . It also sounds like a fun college experience, lots of good football, lots of merit money and good ABET accredited programs .
In-state versus OOS for UM I guess is a good deal for specific major or what the school offers the student versus what they can get elsewhere. My time ran out on editing my post. A friend’s son, high stat, was OOS for UM, and he did have to take out student loans because it was more than they had budgeted for his college - but he did well with his career. With many students, choosing which graduate track to go - MD or law - he gained life experiences using his UG fields of study and did end up deciding law. He was admitted to Harvard and two other prestigious law schools, Columbia and I can’t remember the 3rd. So he is doing very well.
Like I said, it is up to the parents and the student to decide on best fit.
Michigan or Vandy If child decides not to do engineering they are still great schools. Most important to go somewhere your son will be happy and successful, and you can afford. Good luck.