My HS junior son wants to study mechanical engineering. He is thinking of applying to Purdue, University of IL, University of WI-M, VA Tech, NC State and Georgia Tech would be his first choice but not likely to be admitted. His SAT is 1450 with 770 in Math and he is planning to retake it this spring. Current unweighted GPA is 3.65. Weighted GPA is 3.86. What other schools should he be looking into as these school seem very difficult to get into? Also would be interested in schools that might offer merit awards. We are near Chicago. Thanks.
Pitt and Cincinnati might be worth exploring.
University of Alabama (main campus in Tuscaloosa) and U of Alabama-Huntsville (smaller campus in the middle of Research Park-2nd largest research park in the US) are both actively recruiting OOS engineering students with big merit aid. A number of posters on this forum have sent their children across many states to attend them.
This is such a broad question that there are literally hundreds of answers. More information will be needed in order to narrow down the responses to a more useful and manageable scope.
Size, geography, etc.?
Iowa too!
My daughter was in the same boat two years ago, with similar metrics (slightly higher grades, slightly lower SAT). Of those schools I’d say GT is a stretch, most of the other are solid matches, and NC State is a slight safety school (but I’d find a true safety). She got into VT and Purdue, as well as Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State and Lehigh. Wait listed at Case was her only other application.
Ohio State and Penn State have solid programs and would be more safety-ish. Pitt is local for us, but I probably wouldn’t put its engineering program on par with the others.
Michigan State comes to mind from our original long list as a true safety school in your area. Though I’d be quite confident in getting into one of those listed, assuming quality EC, essays, etc.
Fwiw, she’s loving it at Purdue.
Illinois Tech has a significant number of merit awards if a smaller tech school in Chicago is interesting for your son.
Admission is very competitive at many universities, Look at Clarkson University and Illinois Institute of Technology
IIT: see https://web.iit.edu/
Clarkson:see : https://www.clarkson.edu/
Difficult to pick up merit awards with 3.65GPA.
If a civilian military college is of interest see Norwich University. They have been teaching engineering since 1819.
See https://www.norwich.edu/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb
I second @powercropper ‘s University of Alabama suggestion. Your son’s stats put him in the Presidential merit award range. And for engineering, you’re not gaining anything by going to a higher ranked school.