I’ve been seriously considering staying in state for my mechanical engineering degree. My options are UAA (Anchorage) and UAF (Fairbanks). I know in Alaska that UAF is the more prestigious of the two in STEM. Even though UAA is finishing up its brand new engineering building in Fall (when I assume their program will improve to equal standards), there us still going to be some stubborn employers up here saying that they will always take UAF over UAA. Anchorage is where I currently live and if I factor out room and board I’ll have excess from the APS scholarship and UA scholars program (also I’m not ready for a Fairbanks winter just yet). The underlying question is if you guys would think this UAF over UAA perception exists down in the states. I assume it doesn’t exist, but I’m interested to see if that’s not the case.
No. ABET accreditation is what matters. http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx Both have mech programs that qualify.
I graduated from UAF years ago, and would be very surprised if someone in the Lower 48 made any distinction between UAF and UAA. Neither are well known universities outside of Alaska.
As Erin’s Dad said, it’s ABET accreditation that matters.
Thanks guys! This saved me a lot of money and an uncomfortable four Fairbanks winters.
Aww, UAA people are such wussies. :))
XD I’m not even going to try and argue with you on this, yes I am a wussie. No 40 below winters for me.
Well, you can be a bigger wussie and apply to South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and Montana State to see which would be the cheapest and the least cold. 
Most of the Lower 48 would consider you pretty weather-courageous anyway 