<p>EFC: $14-15k
Fed Direct Parent PLUS Loan:$40,452.00
Fed Direct Loan Subsidized:$3,500.00
Fed Direct Loan Unsubsidized:$2,000.00</p>
<p>…I really don’t know what to do right now…</p>
<p>^ I know… Illinois was one of my top choices too. Boo reality! :(</p>
<p>EFc 21k Loans 11K . They expect my parents to pay 32k a year! How, in the heck are they going to do that? Illinois is the most expensive state flagship school in the nation; I am only comparing instate tuition.</p>
<p>Check UW - Madison 8,300 Ranked 39
UM - 11,542 Ranked 60
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 6,000 Ranked 28</p>
<p>Way to go Illinois, our best and brightest will go to OOS flagships or private schools, you may keep the rich and connected.</p>
<p>^ OOS flagships?</p>
<p>IMO, many are just as expensive, aswell as being just as bad with financial aid, especially for OOS students considering that many are also having financial struggles and give in-state students priority over OOS. Lest, everyone goes to U of Minnesota - Twin Cities :)</p>
<p>Not only are OOS Flagships, in the vast majority of cases, MUCH more expensive than the instate tuition at Illinois, but it’s hardly a haven for the “rich and connected”. That’s just sour grapes on Names part. Illinois families struggle to send their children to the best that they can afford. And it’s really irrelevant to compare instate tuition between colleges because you’re only instate in one state anyway. If you can get a better financial bottom line at an OOS/Private than you can at an instate public, all other factors being equal than, by all means go there.</p>
<p>What I am comparing , for Instate students, is how other states provide world class education at their flagships at reasonable prices. </p>
<p>Illinois is very expensive and inefficient can’t you see the simple truth that other state flagship universities are doing a better job for their citizens?</p>
<p>Penn STate ain’t much better</p>
<p>Names, I agree, but it is what it is.</p>
<p>EFC: 8200 and I got 1200 in actuall aid. How do they expect me to pay 30,000? I was going to call the FinAid office and talk to an advisor as my family has an unfortunate circumstance (home being foreclosed). Would this be the best route to take?</p>
<p>^ Of course. It’s the only way to revise the initial offer. I sent them out an email and am waiting for a reply at the moment.</p>
<p>I sent them TWO emails regarding my financial aid.</p>
<p>The first one was sent 3 weeks ago and I received no response, whatsoever.</p>
<p>The second was sent last tuesday. They asked me for my UIN number and I replied. No response since.</p>
<p>^ I used the built-in contact at <a href=“https://eas.admin.uillinois.edu/eas/servlet/EasLogin?redirect=https://webprod.admin.uillinois.edu/ssa/servlet/SelfServiceLogin?appName=edu.uillinois.aits.SelfServiceLogin&dad=BANPROD1[/url]”>https://eas.admin.uillinois.edu/eas/servlet/EasLogin?redirect=https://webprod.admin.uillinois.edu/ssa/servlet/SelfServiceLogin?appName=edu.uillinois.aits.SelfServiceLogin&dad=BANPROD1</a></p>
<p>I got my letter 2 days ago, but I’m wondering whether I can still acquire any scholarships. I heard students still receive some scholarships during the end of this month. Anyone know more about scholarships that come after your financial aid letter?</p>
<p>@perry753: Unfortunately, if your parents have a high income, you’re not likely to get much financial aid. Also, it’s almost impossible for a traditional-aged university student to be considered independent. You can’t simply declare yourself independent without meeting specific, stringent criteria.</p>
<p>@speedo: Penn State is also particularly expensive.</p>
<p>@Balthezar: It depends on the state or province. The SUNY system and the University and Minnesota were only marginally more expensive for OOS students than UIUC was for in-state students. Some Canadian universities, notably McGill, were only marginally more expensive for International students (e.g., US residents) than UIUC was for in-state students. This is before UIUC’s significant tuition increases for incoming freshmen. It’s also considering tuition for LAS and other non-surcharged programs. Engineering and Business students would actually save money by going to a SUNY or to Minnesota.</p>
<p>In general, I think the financial situation at UIUC is a bigger problem for the state of Illinois than is obvious. Some people won’t be able to pay for an education and will be less able to contribute to society. Others will indeed go out of state. Statistically, people who go OOS for university are less likely to return to their own state.</p>
<p>One bone Illinois throws to students is the community colleges. They are affordable, and many are quite good. This way, one only has to pay for two or three years of UIUC’s tuition instead of four or five years.</p>
<p>Take3, you focus solely on college costs, but ignore the value of a University of Illinois Engineering degree. Cost-wise, community colleges are a great option…value-wise not so much. You mention the SUNYs and McGill, but the highest ranked engineering program in the US News and World Reports list of the best engineering colleges is SUNY-Stony Brook, which comes in at 64th. McGill isn’t even listed in the top 100 engineering colleges. University of Minnesota’s engineering program comes in at 19th, and as such deserves serious consideration, but again ranks much lower than the quality of an Engineering Degree from the University of Illinois. In fact, the University of Illinois Engineering programs are ranked higher than the engineering programs at both Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>Having said all that, you are absolutely right in that the state is not properly investing in the education of its students. The tuition and fees that the University of Illinois is forced to charge its students are outrageously high, and the legislature needs to properly fund higher education. They don’t, so the university needs to charge what it does to maintain the quality of its programs.</p>
<p>As I’ve previously said, if you’ve been accepted at the University of Illinois, consider it both an honor and a recognition of your academic and personal achievements. It’s tough to get in. Carefully weigh the value, challenge, fit and cost of an education at Illinois, and make a decision. The costs are fixed over a four year period. Keep that in mind when comparing costs to other colleges, which raise them every year.</p>
<p>USNews only ranks American schools, that’s why McGill is not ranked. In the Times/QS worldwide rankings, as reprinted in USNews, McGill engineereing is ranked 20 worldwide, ahead of Illinois:</p>
<p>[World’s</a> Best Universities: Engineering and IT - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-universities/2010/02/25/worlds-best-universities-engineering-and-it.html]World’s”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-universities/2010/02/25/worlds-best-universities-engineering-and-it.html)</p>
<p>@Balthezar: I agree that a UIUC Engineering degree will open doors.</p>
<p>However, less than 1 out of 5 UIUC students are in the College of Engineering. What about other majors? The comparison is nowhere near as lopsided for most if not all other majors.</p>
<p>@tomofboston: Tom, you point to a study that the Times has based on its former relationship with QS. The Times has since severed its relationship with QS, and the study has been roundly discredited for it’s reliance on peer and staff review. They pay for their opinions, so it’s nothing more than a public-relations contest that has no academic basis for its rankings. On the other hand, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of Universities is based on quality of faculty (40%), research output (40%), quality of education (10%) and performance vs. size (10%). In it you’ll find that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is currently ranked 25 (overall, not just in engineering), and has consistantly hovered in the mid 20s for years, while McGill ranks 65th. Having said that, and after investigating the quality of the student body at McGill, I can see why you and Take3 like it. It’s definitely is a world-class institution, and is a viable alternative to UIUC. Having said that, I’d still go with Illinois over McGill. The study is here in alphabetical order (scroll down for the results):</p>
<p>[Academic</a> Ranking of World Universities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_Ranking_of_World_Universities]Academic”>Academic Ranking of World Universities - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>@take3: Have you checked out the business college and their Accountancy program lately? Or the hard sciences and Math in LAS?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’d argue that this specific weighting is of limited relevance to undergraduates for the following reasons:
- Quality of education is highly important to undergraduates. However, this survey only gives it a weighting of 10%.
- By contrast, research output is weighted at 40%. But undergrads’ opportunities to do real research is limited at best. So research output is less relevant to undergraduates than is implied by the weighting.
- The quality of the student body is highly relevant. Yet it is given no weight at all by this survey.</p>
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</p>
<p>Even including these subjects, a majority of UIUC students are not studying any of the subjects you list.</p>
<p>That said, out of curiosity, is there nothing remotely comparable at any of the schools which have a comparable cost to in-state tuition at UIUC, such as the schools noted above? For example, Business and Computer Science at McGill are highly respected.</p>
<p>For the record, I’m only trying to make people aware of alternatives that are available to them. I’m not stating that any such alternative is superior to UIUC in all cases.</p>
<p>I’m only trying to make people aware of alternatives that are available to them. I’m not stating that any such alternative is superior to UIUC in all cases.</p>
<p>I agree. McGill is a very competitive alternative to the University of Illinois. Having said that, I give Illinois the edge. Regarding the various rankings, they are useful for what they measure. They are tools that can be used when you make your personal decision regarding which institution of higher education you would like to attend. But I’ll say this: while the quality of the student body is important, that criteria means little without a quality faculty to enrich it.</p>