Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University vs University of Michigan

College Search & Selection
1

Hello. I’m a student attending Embry-Riddle with a Aerospace Engineering major. When I was applying for colleges in my senior year at high school, University of Michigan was my first choice, and Embry-Riddle was the second. I got denied after a deferral from University of Michigan and got accepted into Embry-Riddle with a $10000 scholarship per year. I’m enjoying the studies and getting enriching experiences at Embry-Riddle. However, I’m somewhat strongly tempted to attempt transferring to University of Michigan after I finish my second year with all the transfer requirements met. On the other hand, I can’t find any good comparison of aerospace engineering program at the two schools. Could anyone please compare the aerospace engineering program at Embry-Riddle and U Mich and explain which school has better AE program??? Thanks a ton!

2

You may get more response posting in the University of Michigan forum.

3

You might want to look at the combined BSE/MSE program at UMich. By rankings , UMich is much higher. You may want to talk to some recruiters to get their take.

4

Thank you TooOld4School for replying. Could you please explain that to me in more details? Thank you.

5

Embry-Riddle is highly ranked within its field though (USNWR: #1 in Aero Eng and #8 in undegraduate engineering for schools without Phd). This puts it in the same league as schools like Rose Hulman, Harvey Mudd, etc. It also consistently [ranks high in the ROI rankings](College Education Value Rankings - PayScale 2013 College ROI Report).

Bottom line, it’s a great school for engineering. The only potential issue is that it’s also highly specialized, which means it won’t fit everyone’s personality like a big state school will. It’s something you will want to look into further to find out if the fit is right for you.

6

Part of the issue is that many engineers switch their specializations, so many that many schools offer an intro to engineering class to help students decide. More switch during their sophomore and junior year too. IMO no one can know their future interests with certainty, especially at 18/19, so it is better to be at a school with some flexibility unless the OP is 100% certain.