B.Arch : Cal Poly SLO (OOS Tuition 20k) vs. U of Miami (Free Tuition) ?

Please give me some advice.
Does Design Intelligence Ranking really matter?

My D got great scholarship(Arch dept 35k + President Sch 15k for four years, 5th year? maybe full-pay?) from U of Miami.
She got into Cal Poly SLO. (US citizen, but applied from foreign country, so accepted early) tuition is 20k.

I do not have any knowledge of Architecture industry or job market.
According to Design Intelligence Ranking, I see huge gap.
Which one would you recommend?
If there is no huge disadvantage concerning recruiting, we prefer a private university to a public one.

Congrats. My D is also applying to Architecture and got into UM and waiting for Cal Poly (I did not know the results have come). Anyway, pls take ranking as a data point. UM is part of a big city. Based on the research I have done Architect tend to stay where they study. So most of the Cal Poly student end up on So Cal area and UM stay in Miami. The arch program in UM provides some good dual degree program which is a good option to look at if your D want to start her own practice down the road.
Bottom line, it is your daughter choice. Both are a good school. Since I got lot of money from UM (which I heard they don’t usually give) I will go there.

bk1366@ Thank you for your answer. My D loves both of them. But 20K is huge money to us. If there is no big difference, she may go to UM. Thanks again.

@Aspenlove, Two good choices! Over the past few years Miami has aggressively sought to reposition itself as a magnet for students interested in urban architecture. It attracts top applicants through a generous grant war chest and talented, younger working architect professors and instructors through its creative energy.

Has your daughter visited both?

In order to help make a choice I think you need to probe more deeply into the financial comparison. Figure out the total cost of 5 years at both schools, including any summer or study abroad programs. Find out for sure how (if?) Miami will fund the 5th year.

I would agree with @bk1366 that the correlation between architecture school and architecture jobs is somewhat regional. Design Intelligence rankings do, however, add to visibility, so I would add that CalPoly SLO is better known outside of California than Miami is outside of Florida. So the place where your daughter eventually intends to practice will be a factor.

I believe that both have excellent internships connection, but again, the firms most likely to hire their students may be regional as well. That’s a question that I would ask: Where have your students interned?

Is your daughter waiting for other decisions? If yes, she should wait until she has the whole picture before making a decision.

@momrath I really appreciate your reply. She is still waiting for some other schools, but cannot expect more generous scholarship than UM’s. We have not yet received FA offer from Cal poly. It is due in early March. Only if we get some grants or merit from Cal Poly or other schools, we can take a look at other opportunities. She loves Miami, but, frankly, is not considering jobs in Miami after graduation. Without substantial aid, she cannot go to a private school or OOS school. We are very happy with UM’s offer now. Thank you so much.

I think your cost estimate for SLO is off.
The cost of attendance for a non-resident is closer to $40K. Cal Poly is a public California and relies on State tax dollars to fund the school. OOS student pay full fees.
https://financialaid.calpoly.edu/coa1718.html
The State of California cannot afford to fund non-residents. So scholarships, if any, will be really small (~2K per year).

20k is only tuition. Thanks, anyway.

@Aspenlove, tuition is actually $21,696 for this year but what about on-campus housing, transportation, books and incidentals? The CSU tuition costs increase yearly. You need to look at the complete cost of attendance unless she is commuting which does not seem possible?. SLO is not an inexpensive area to live after Freshman year and apartments are not cheap to rent.

https://financialaid.calpoly.edu/coa1819.html

@Gumbymom Actually, my D is fond of metropolitan areas and urbanism in architecture. After graduation, she wants to come back to Seattle (home). Cal Poly costs 80~90K more for 5 years. …D may choose UM. Thanks again.

???
So she’s not considering Calpoly anymore?

Maybe not… I don’t know. I want her to go to UM for financial reason…

@bk1366 Actually many Cal Poly students end up in the SF Bay Area as well after graduation, not just SoCal. HUGE contingent of kids attending Cal Poly from NorCal.

UM has a very good reputation for urban architecture - not as good as Cal Poly but not 80K worth in difference.
It’d take a long time to make up the differnce in salaries (keeping in mind architects don’t make a lot of money at the beginning).
What you DO need to learn very quickly is whether for your daughter the 5th year for the M.Arch would be funded or full pay. If you have to be full pay, it evens out the costs.

https://finaid.miami.edu/cost/index.html
Unless I am not looking correctly even with those great scholarships there is still an estimated $20,000/year to be paid. Room /board being your constant fees. Travel, books, personal can change drastically.

Are there any instate options that make sense for her.

Even if 5th year is full pay she can take out max loans for that year. Maybe getting co-op or internships she can make some money during those 4 years. Work Study helps during school. You also have 4 years to put away money if possible to help pay for that 5th year (not sure what that is but it was mentioned)

Also regardless of school she gets educated at she is always free to come back to Seattle for a job. Maybe focusing her internships, summer work to make connections while in school?

Thank you, everyone, for kind replys. My D will visit UM in late March. She may see the whole picture. I think she is leaning towards UM. Besides, the scholarship letter was corrected. She can get scholarship for the whole 5 years of B.Arch if she maintain above 3.0 GPA. I do really appreciate UM’s generosity.

Congratulations to your daughter. I really don’t see where the decision is on this one. Tell your daughter to enjoy Miami!

Wow, that’s awesome. Congrats!
I hope the visit goes well - she should ask whether she can sit in on a general freshman class (English…) And an architecture class.
Will he be staying overnight?

@MYOS1634 Yes.