Pitt is another one worth looking at, with co-op as an option. Their rolling admissions policy can be very helpful in terms of nailing down an early acceptance, and the setting in Pittsburg can be attractive to students who like urban schools like Northeastern.
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He also got 5s for both Calc BC and AB subscore. Hope there are some schools that consider them for their admission decision.
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It is often considered, but over 40% of those who take the Calc BC test get 5ās, so for top CS schools, itās more an expectation than a distinction.
Northeastern is a great school, especially for CS, but itās concerning to read it portrayed as a ādreamā thatās worth jeopardizing your financial security in retirement for. He could get an equally-great CS education (and college experience) at many more-affordable schools, too. In addition to UCās, CSUās, and WUE schools like Utah, there are fantastic CS schools he can attend for free or virtually free as a National Merit finalist. Look especially at UT-Dallas, which has very strong programs and which has invested heavily in residential campus life; itās not a party school, but it has a strong community of serious students (and a large Asian population - over 30% - if that matters to you). Thereās a lot to be said for āfreeā - even if you dedicate the same amount of money to his future but spend it differently.
P.S. For a different and more personalized (and research-oriented) experience at a UC school, consider the College of Creative Studies at UCSB, which portrays its educational philosophy as being like āgrad school for undergrads.ā CCS requires a separate application in addition to applying to the campus via the UC app. Computing | UCSB College of Creative Studies
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Thanks for your advice. We visited NEU last month and my son isnāt too high about NEU now (maybe because I told him that he has to pay back his COA afterward).
UTD suggestion sounds interesting. We will join a virtual event on The National Merit Scholarship Program at UT Dallas later this month.
CCS at UCSB sounds great, but I doubt that his academic profile is good enough.
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Donāt forget, Tulsa free as NMSF - and then thereās more 
Hoping your son finds the right place - and one that wonāt bankrupt you (donāt know that situation, just reading the previous message).
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Oh, sorry - youāre right about UCSB CCS - I lost sight of the GPA situation for a minute there. Heāll be at a disadvantage with the CA publics generally, since his high test scores wonāt be considered and his GPA will make it tough to get into CS even at schools where he might be admitted to other majors. WUE schools that will consider his scores may work better. (In addition to Utah, Portland State and Nevada-Reno could be good ones to look at.)
Iām glad his interest in NEU has cooled a bit, as it would have been a tough admit anyway.
Iām not familiar with the intricacies of admissions at UTD; I think he should be able to get into the university (and get the NMF merit assuming he attains Finalist status); I donāt know whether his GPA would be a barrier to getting into the CS major. Cognitive Science could be worth a look as an alternate major (I also donāt know whether you can specify an alternate major in the admissions process), as it has an Intelligent Systems & Computational Modeling track that is CS-heavy.
Hereās some UTD info in the link below. Per CDS, while they donāt show GPA ranges, `but the student is well above the 75th percentile in test and the acceptance rate is 85%. Their class rank stats - per CDS also - are generous. 66% are in the top quarter - so plenty are getting in even if not top of the class. So Iām near certain the student will be admitted.
@aquapt , @tsbna44 Thank you for the UTD information. Looks like NJIT also gives good merit aid for NMF. Is it a good school for CS?
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Others can answer better but I assume so.
If they offer a free education - and thatās something you desire - Iām sure itās a home run !!
I wouldnāt completely give up on CCS. If that environment might be a good match and he has the time for the essays you should complete the application. Remember that you are writing to a Professor and tailor the essay accordingly.
Yes.
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Turns out that my son is not a NMSF. Looks like the cutoff for CA this year is 221, instead of 220 so he is not on the updated list. The school counselor told him that the list before summer has like 160 students on it and the updated one has around 60.
Sorry to hear. Reading above there will still be low cost programs but not as plentiful.
Can you recap the budget. I know you will do best to support him but whatās the true # you can afford? Are there any limits geographically ?
Heāll still have wonderful choices.
Best of luck.
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Thanks to the sky-high house price in my area, I have some home equity that I can use to pay for college. However, paying full COA for private schools (90K+) may not make financial sense.
He doesnāt have any strong preference geographically, but rather not go to the deep south.
You can tap equity but still have to pay it back with interest. Unless you sell and move to a lower cost and have the cash. And itās unnecessary to go to a $90k school when $40 and $50k are avail. You could go cheaper (low 20s) but often itās yup - the Deep South.
Still you have the ASUs ā¦U of A will be more. UNM is another. You have Michigan State on your list. You should check schools like Mizzou and Kansas which may be less or Missouri Science and Tech and others which are more focused. And schools like Washington State, Wyoming, and more will be lower in cost through WUE. So make sure to check WUE. Some SUNYs are affordable too.
If you donāt have cash flow, I hope you donāt tap equity. That you can find a CSU or WUE and cash flow the expense. This way you have the equity for retirement. Unfortunately the gpa hurts at so many, but not all schools.
Best of luck.
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Thanks for the SUNY suggestion. I will ask him to check them.
He has been accepted to ASU and he is waiting to hear from MSU and Pitt. Hope he got some good options at the end of the process.
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ASU - you can run the NPC. It will tell you how much merit youāll get - I think max $15k.
The actual price is higher than it shows.
Itās showing $53-55k but I think heāll get $15k.
MSU is $55K this year. Hard to know merit. Pitt is about $60k for CS and aid unlikely.
If ASU is $40k + annual inflation, does that work for you?
Thereās many schools WUE. Good luck.
Thank you for the cost estimate. $40+k is doable.
Among WUE schools, Utah is already on his list and its COA should be below ASU number.
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Note that WUE is not automatic at Utah, they require a minimum 3.5UW GPA (9-11 grade) but donāt give it to everyone above that. Make sure you send official test scores as they do appear to consider them in the decision (and apply by Dec 1st). With WUE Utah is about $5K cheaper than ASU with the Presidential scholarship, and SLC is also much cheaper than Tempe for food etc. Without WUE the best option is to stay for residency in the summer after freshman year.
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If he liked the co-ops at NEU, Iād have him give a real good look at U. of Cincinnati. The sticker price is around $41k/year, and heād probably get merit aid, too. Plus, Ohio publics freeze tuition for four years for each entering class, so you wonāt have tuition going up 4-5% every year.
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