<p>My list so far:
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin
Carnegie Mellon University
Williams </p>
<p>i just want to find a solid program that doesn't cost too much
any ideas?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>CMU MIT Stanford- very good but costly</p>
<p>doesn't cost too much? well then</p>
<ol>
<li>Berkeley (EECS)</li>
<li>Michigan, UIUC</li>
<li>UWashington, Wisconsin, and usual good engineering school GT, Purdue, UMCP......</li>
</ol>
<p>Are you a California resident?</p>
<p>CMU is SO COOL!!
(CMU pwns n00bs)
I just had to mention that...</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies! :)</p>
<p>I live in Washington state.</p>
<p>Financially, U Washington will probably be best. It usually costs a lot to attend a public university as an out of state student, and you usually can't get much if any aid. CMU gives aid, so you could look into it, especially if you are low income. However, you are likely to graduate with considerable debt. It's worth investigatiing, though.</p>
<p>There are lots of CS schools, but ones that don't cost very much? -- I can't imagine why CMU is on that list! Their financial aid is not the best:</p>
<p>Need-based aid (First figure and percent is freshmen, second is all undergrads):
Students who applied for financial aid 69% 59%
Those determined to have financial need 54% 51%
Students whose need was fully met (excluding PLUS or other private loans) 36% 36%
Avg. financial aid package (% awarded aid) $21,613 (53%) $22,143 (50%)
Avg. need-based scholarships or grants (% awarded aid) $17,288 (51%) $16,636 (48%)
Avg. self-help aid, such as work study or loans (% awarded aid) $5,455 (50%) $6,703 (48%)
Avg. need-based loan (excluding PLUS or other private loans) $3,470 $4,853
% need met (of those awarded need-based aid) 80% 81%</p>
<p>Non-need-based aid:
Avg. merit award (% awarded aid) $11,533 (8%) $12,318 (9%)
Avg. athletic scholarship (% awarded aid) $0 (0%) $0 (0%)</p>
<p>Did you look at individuals or the general overview? CMU gives plenty of aid to students it wants and to students in CS.</p>
<p>Did you know CMU gives aid to waitlistees when MANY other top universities do not? Therefore it does not meet full aid to waitlistees nor give them preference to those are accepted outright. If you are waitlisted then don't expect good aid if you get taken off the waitlist.</p>
<p>And no offense to the other schools but CMU comp sci is on a tier above them. The school is arguably Microsoft/Google's favorite based on the postgrad surveys and new opportunities such as the new Gates building going under construction <a href="http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/040914_gates.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/040914_gates.html</a> and the CMU professor heading the new Google in Pittsburgh. <a href="http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/051215_moore.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/051215_moore.html</a></p>
<p>Those data are what the school reports on their Common Data Set and I picked it up off US News premium site.</p>
<p>No question CMU is a great school. I didn't deny that. But it is expensive, and the OP's only requirement that he listed was that it not cost too much.</p>
<p>If you live in Washington no reason to look beyond UW.</p>
<p>Yes, weenie. My point is that CMU gives aid (though less) to waitlistees when other top universities do not. So the data you presented isn't as bad as it seems. Apply and if CMU thinks you are strong enough, they will give you the proper aid. Those on the border and waitlistees usually get lower aid.</p>