Engineering undergrad under $30k

College Search & Selection
1

My S is interested in engineering (electrical or mechanical). His stats:
32 ACT
1340 SAT
3.66 / 4.22 unweighted / weighted GPA

His list includes the following:
University of Nebraska Lincoln (high merit aid so least expensive but what is reputation of the engineering school)
Iowa State (seems like a well regarded program)
Missouri Science & Tech (low% girls has him concerned)
Ohio State (great program but school is so large)
University of Utah (loves outdoor activity, can get in state tuition but is commuter status a problem)
KU
Miami Ohio (great school but is engineering program any good)
Indiana U

I’m just looking for insights on the engineering programs at these schools and other pros/cons. We live in Illinois.

2

Illinois-Urbana is top ranked. Why pay out of state tuition?

3

If your not staying in state then UU seems like a good bet. However need more info on financials, are you willing to pay OOS costs fir a public school?

4

Why are you looking at other schools? University of Illinois is by far the best and you’ll be paying in-state tuition!!!

5

Not OP but my guess is UIU engineering is a reach with the stats

6

So there are a few reasons why S isn’t considering UIUC. First range of freshman in engineering is ACT 31-34 and grade point 3.66-4.0. He would be at the low end of those numbers so there is concern about how he would do. Second price is $31-35k which is above budget. Third, budget issues in the state are uncertain so price will likely go up. Thoughts?

7

The Illinois state college still fall under this law - which keeps tuition the same for all 4 years the student is in school - http://www.uaps.uillinois.edu/students/tuition.asp

8

Does IIT offer his major?

9

Apply now to Alabama. With their merit scholarship for an ACT 32 and their eng’g scholarship the remaining cost should be less than $30k per year.

UA Scholar

A student with a 30-32 ACT or 1390-1480 SAT score and at least a 3.5 GPA, he or she will be named a UA Scholar and will receive $76,000 over four years ($19,000 per year).

Presidential Scholar

A student with a 33-36 ACT or 1490-1600 SAT score and at least a 3.5 GPA will be selected as a Presidential Scholar and will receive $100,000 over four years ($25,000 per year). Students graduating with remaining scholarship semester(s) may use these monies toward graduate school and/or law school study at UA.

Plus the eng’g scholarship of 2500 per year.

Also have your son retest. An add’l point is worth $6k per year.

10

Yes we are willing to pay oos for a state school since many would cost less than our in state option. Plus we have heard he could get in state tuition in Utah. Is alabama’s engineering program well regarded?

11

IIT probably has the major but it is very expensive.

12

Utah has a great engineering program. The Spiral ME curriculum is innovative. Students are very into athletics. Check out the MUSS. The mountains are beautiful. Dorms are great.

My son had pretty high stats (3.98 UW, 760/700/700). He was competitive pretty much everywhere. Utah made his final three and he agonized on where to go until two days before the deadline. He liked it a lot.

The commuter nature of the school is actually a blessing. The 10,000 or so students who live on campus, tend to do so for all 4 years and become very tight knit. As a result, most say that it feels smaller than it is.

Some fear the LDS influence, but SLC is less than 50% Mormon and The U is pretty liberal.

All in all, there’s a lot to like about engineering at Utah!

13

Do you have an opinion on the EE program at Utah? We are going to visit next month. My S can’t wait to see it!

14

@momoftwoofftou, I don’t other than I know that all of their engineering departments are solid. You’ll get a better idea once you’ve toured. Have fun!

15

RE the U of Utah, I think the way to get around commuter status is to be a commuter. Explore the idea of a house share off campus from the start. The commuter issue exists because living off campus is going to be cheaper for students who don’t want a fancy apartment.

16

@sybilia, that’s not the case for The U. The large commuter population is because many students went on church missions, returned and started families. Utah is the opposite of most other schools we visited. The culture for the typical college student there is to not leave campus.

17

Actually, most kids will just commute from home, OOS undergrads are probably the sum population of dorming students. Local kids commute from the luxury of home or get into cheap house shares. Local kids I know who did dorm, don’t dorm for long. Mission kids (male) leave at 18 now and are back by 20. They are still children LOL. A small % of students, period, live on campus. Maybe not even 15%. Maybe 17% of students are OOS

18

Does Indiana University even offer engineering? I had heard they were working on it but Purdue is the Indiana flagship for engineering.

19

Yes, Illinois Tech offers both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and many of our students get significant merit scholarships if they apply before December 1.

20

Agree with @mom2collegekids you should take a serious look at UA. Quality engineering program and with your stats, it falls in your price-range. We toured UA engineering with our NMF son and were really impressed. Their honors programs are amazing too. Tuscaloosa was a pretty cool town as well.