Hey guys, I am close to making a decision and I have narrowed my decision down between these three schools in LMU, Gonzaga, and Portland State where I will be studying computer engineering. Portland State would definitely be the most affordable of the three schools since it’s an in-state school and it is located much closer to home, but it would not be the same experience as if I were to attend the other two private schools in LMU and Gonzaga where I would receive much more personal attention and would be more likely to graduate in four years than at Portland State. If you guys have any insight as to which school offers the best education/job placement for computer science/engineering majors that would really help in making my decision. Also, LMU and Gonzaga will most likely be very close in the amount of loans/cost, so it ultimately comes down to which one would be the best for my academic interests, and if it’s worth spending the extra money to attend one of these private OOS schools instead of the more affordable in-state option.
Portland State is a commuter school mostly for older transfer students (most students are adults, not college-aged). Didn’t you get into another public university in the State?
LMU and Gonzaga are much better suited for a college student and better academically but… can you afford them?
How much in loans would you have to take, how much for your parents?
Are those three your only choices?
I did get into Oregon State as well, but they didn’t offer very much in financial aid, as it would be right around the same cost as Gonzaga or LMU, so Portland State would be the most affordable option. Also I would be looking at about 50K in loans total from LMU vs. about 60K in loans from Gonzaga over the four years.
Look again at Oregon State’s financial aid package. If necessary, list every item below. It sounds impossible that you’d have as many loans for OSU as for LMU and Gonzaga.
Since you, yourself, can only take $5,500 for your freshman year, are your parents on board with taking Parent Plus loans on your behalf?
50K is on the outer edge of what’s reasonable for a CS/CSE major, so Gonzaga should be off the table in any case.
Sorry, I checked the numbers and the loans are actually much smaller that what I originally thought. For LMU, I would be taking out 30K in loans over the four years, while at Gonzaga I would be taking out 38K, so that is much more feasible in terms of how much I would have to pay back, and yes I would using the Parent Plus loan program.
Plus, I will have to spend more to travel to LA vs. Spokane since I live near Portland, so really they will cost about the same.
So, the 30K for Loyola and 38K for Gonzaga is what they both offered in their financial aid packages and then I would have to take out a Parent Plus loan of about 20K in addition for Gonzaga over the four year, so that amounts to 58K total in loans for Gonzaga. While, at Loyola I would have to take out an additional 16K total with the Parent Plus Plan, but I am still waiting on an appeal decision so that may reduce, but right now Gonzaga looks like it will be too much in loans, even if it may have a more acclaimed engineering program than LMU.
Parent loans are generally not a good idea – that implies that the parents do not really have the money, so that paying back those loans would impact their ability to save for retirement or contribute to the college costs of any younger siblings.
Right now it’s really Oregon State or LMU.
LMU = the federal loans + 20K in loans for your parents over 4 years, or about 5K per year added to your parents’ debt (mortgage, student loans they’re still paying back…) Are they okay with this? Do they have a good credit history?
Portland State is not the right school for a student who wants a campus life and classmates who aren’t 27-35. So Oregon State is a good compromise because there’s a campus life and costs aren’t as high as LMU.
Oregon state is much better.
I would discourage PSU since the buildings are all scattered around, and the students in general aren’t…the most motivated ones.
With LMU, it depends on how much my parents income changes as I will only have to take out $7500 in loans for my freshman year to the substantial amount of scholarships and grants I have received for my first year and due to the fact that my father is currently attending school and is unemployed. However, after my freshman year, I will be looking at taking out about $13,000 per year in loans for my sophomore, junior, and senior years as I will not qualify for one of my grants after my freshman year that is worth $7500. Still, they have offered a very generous amount in scholarships and grants that the amount of loans I will be taking out would be less than Oregon State as I did not receive any grants from them, and I only received the Academic Achievement Award worth $3,500 per year and the total cost being $26,406 indicates that LMU is the better deal.
What is the total amount of debt you would need to take at each school?
It looks like Portland State is the only one that does not require parent loans or parent co-signed student loans.
Look at what’s comparable - not total cost as estimated by the university, but strictly tuition+fees+ room+ board, then deduct the scholarships/grants: what amount is left for each(OSU and LMU)?
Cost of attendance tend to be larger than actual cost. For example, dorm fee cam be lesseendby living in cheaper dorm
Okay, so I compared the amount left for all four of my potential choices in terms of the amount for tuition, room+board, and fees for each school. For PSU, the difference would be $14,029, Gonzaga would be $22,639, LMU would be $14,506, and Oregon State would be $18,562. Also, I have received a $2500 private local scholarship that I will use for my first year which was not included in these calculations, and I have applied for 6 scholarships where I am strictly competing against the other seniors at my high school, so I should be able to win a couple of those as well.
So, LMU is the best choice. Strong academically, well-located (and lets you explore another region of the country), and the least expensive (relatively speaking). 
Okay, thanks for assisting me!
However, when comparing both LMU and Gonzaga, the transportation would be more for LMU, and I would not be receiving a $7500 grant after my first year, which means that it would end up about the same or even more after my first year. So, I am still deciding between which school would have a stronger computer engineering program and better internships/job placement opportunity.
Call LMU: is that $7,500 grant renewable or is it strictly first-year only? (Because grants are typically renewable based on need). Why do you think it’s not renewable?
Transportation is very little compared to total costs.
58K in loans for Gonzaga is not reasonable, even if your parents agreed on taken the 30K in Parent Plus Loans. At least with LMU you have a shot at paying your loans and your parents back in about 15 years - that’s still make you 37 to 40 by the time you’re done paying the 50k back.
If you don’t want to attend LMU, look again at Oregon State.
LMU’s location is better for internships and placements. LA >>>>> Spokane (where Gonzaga is located) in that respect as for many other aspects.
At LMU I was accidentally awarded a non-renewable grant for $7500 for my freshman year due to an error that was made with my award. However, I also received $12,000 in grants for my first year, which is not guaranteed if my parents financial situation changes significantly as my father is out of work right now.