Getting More Aid / Bringing Down Costs / Should I Attend

I’m a prospective Computer Science 2018 transfer student, and I’m hoping I can get some insight here on whether or not RPI will be “possible” and “worthwhile” for me. Right now I attend University of Arkansas, so RPI is definitely more prestigious. Accordingly, I expect to pay more, but I think right now the cost difference outweighs the “career difference.”

At UA, I’ll be paying (most likely) about $5k/year for the remainder of my degree. I didn’t get any aid this past year due to applying late aside from a big outside scholarship but for the rest I should have something that will bring it to that.

At RPI, I was given about $32.5k in scholarships. This brings down the total I have to pay to $40k (ouch). So in the average case attending RPI for the next 3 years will cost me an extra $105k.

I guess I can cut costs in two main ways: 1) getting more aid and 2) reducing the costs that have to be paid. So:

  1. How likely am I to be able to get significantly more aid? What is the best way at doing this (phone / email)? I am just a freshman right now but I got a 4.0 both semesters. I know they only considered the first, so would sending my second semester transcript have an effect? Does anyone have experience getting significantly more aid than than they were initially offered?

  2. How much would I probably be able to reasonably bring down costs? Tuition is, of course, immutable, but I could probably not pay at all for books (-$1250), reduce “Other education costs” (say -$500), and get out of the housing contract (-$???).

Also, how should I make a final decision? My current school is rated pretty lowly and RPI is rated quite highly, but it’s still really hard to judge. Right now I’m thinking of transferring if I’d have to pay $20-25k a year or less, but that seems out of reach right now.

Any ideas?

Don’t go to a college that is unaffordable. Transfer students rarely get merit aid. I recommend you stay where you are and excel there.

I plan to transfer eventually because I don’t like it here. It feels like a party school, nobody seems to actually care about their field, many classes are trivial, Arkansas has poor CS stuff, etc. But perhaps RPI is not the best school to go to in my case. I don’t know. I’m not in a hurry to transfer, but RPI seems like a good fit so I’d like to try to make it work.

Transfer students notoriously get very little aid in any school, not just RPI.

I’d like to suggest that you get your bachelor’s at your current school, and then get a Master’s degree at RPI or any other prestigious school of your choice.

Focus on working closely with your profs where you are. See if you can help research. CS cares a lot more about your experience, smarts, and drive than the school name.

Thank you for the advice. But I still feel like I am missing out. I know a class like Cal 2 will generally be the same between schools, but I don’t feel like I’m getting an optimal education (and I think this will mainly manifest later in the degree). In discrete math I’d often watch OCW lectures and they’d seem to go much further in depth.

I also will be moving across the country after my degree where I won’t know anyone because Arkansas has nothing. Some of the professors are subpar in ways I think I wouldn’t have to deal with elsewhere. At the very least though I think I agree I probably shouldn’t transfer this year. After next semester I’d have 3 or 4 semesters of having a 4.0, so I’d be more qualified for merit aid, anyway, and I’d be paying a higher tuition for a shorter time. I just feel like I might be making a mistake. I’d like to go to RPI and it’s sad it’s not reasonable to do so.

@simon192 I agree with the rest about graduating where you are but I’d like to ask why about the finances. You say you were offered $32k at RPI which leaves $72k. Was that as an entering freshman?

According to [THIS LINK](Transfer Admission | Admissions), if you have accumulated less than 12 credits, you are still considered an incoming freshman. If you are below 12 credits then you may still have an opportunity to make your application affordable. After you receive your financial offer you then request an appeal to see if they can lower the cost. They are pretty accurate with measuring a person’s ability to pay.

If on the other hand you are at above 12 credits, you might consider not transferring those credits and just re-doing some of those classes over again since it’s absolutely true that transfer students pay absurdly more in any school they transfer to. I like the idea of just getting a master’s degree after U of A. Don’t worry about the rigor, all that matters are the latter courses which meet with the content of your master’s courses.

You should look at the numbers in terms of long term projections. While 100k is nothing to sneeze at, the opportunities you will have v. UA in the workplace will pay for themselves within a short time. An RPI graduate in high demand will be able to receive a higher starting salary ( let’s say that’s 20k a year or 5 years). Also throughout your life the alumni connections will pay off.
Go to RPI and never look back. Education is expensive

@GoRedhead I was offered $32k for transferring this year of a total of $72k, leaving $40k. I have 39 credits so I definitely don’t want to start over as a freshman; that’d be like redoing a year and a half. But yeah, I’m leaning towards MS away after BS here.

@Happytimes2001 This is the other side of the coin I’m trying to consider. I have looked at that data and it’s a big part of why I’m so hesitant to stay. The main factors that cloud its interpretation I see are that

  1. The top schools are in the most expensive areas in the country; NY degrees often stay in NY and demand NY salaries, as it is with CA and elsewhere. Many UA kids will stay in Arkansas and the cost of living is much lower here. As I intend to move immediately after my degree this chunk of the difference does not apply to me.

  2. By nature of admissions kids here aren’t as bright on average as at RPI. I know this could sound arrogant but most people here aren’t very intellectual. This does create a suboptimal educational environment for me which is one thing I’m concerned about. But to some degree I could say that having been accepted at RPI this chunk in general will be smaller for me.

But I can’t judge the weights of these. I have little doubt that going to RPI would give me a slightly higher salary, but that much debt would also have long-term repercussions (i.e. not being able to buy a house as soon, starting investments later, …) that I think would outlast the benefit of getting an intro-level job more easily. I guess I just don’t have the knowledge to properly interpret the data.

Taking what you said at full, though, would it not still be better in every way to transfer next year instead of this year? That would be a fortune less of debt and no less benefit in terms of prestige since I’d still have an RPI degree.

One thing I still do want to try is to get more aid. Is this generally not done at RPI?

I got significantly more aid by appealing but not everyone gets the same result. As long as you can provide a valid proof for why you require more aid they will comply but otherwise an unsubstantiated request will yield as little as 2-3k in added aid.
@simon192

You won’t get more aid once you are at the school. It doesn’t work that way.

The best funding is reserved for entering freshman from the university.

Transfers get minimal funding.

It doesn’t restart because your grades go up. They already have you on campus and don’t need to recruit you.
The FA offices stick to their budgets. They are not going to rediscover your merit and say, “wow, he’s great, let’s give him more money!”

Starting salaries in CS are based on location. No one cares where you receive your degree. That’s from personal experience from my daughter. She is a grad of SUNY Buffalo. She has a CS degree and is working in CA for a large corporate. It doesn’t matter where you receive your undergrad. Seeking prestige will give you the same job/wage as the person in the office next to you. What makes you think going to a “better” university has better professors? Some UC’s have grad students teaching coursework. Some colleges have international professors whose accents are so difficult to interpret that you can’t understand what the lectures were presenting.

Your wage will be based on your experiences and internships.
Your living expenses, in other areas, will cost significantly more, so the salary has to help you to pay your rent.

If you can’t afford RPI, you shouldn’t go. Do you honestly want to start your career worrying about your debt?

Did I see $105k in that figure? I’m assuming you were just kidding. If not, then you need to burn the acceptance letter and release the evil financial energy! $5,000 a year in debt for the next 3 years is good. If you’re doing CS, prestige means absolutely nothing as long as you come out of there with some proficiency in at least one programming language. I’m a computer professional myself, trust me. That’s all employers care about. Most of your education will be on the job. Just stick to what you have and finish.

Thank you everyone. I will not fairly certainly not transfer. I may try to get more FA just in the off chance that they want to give me another $30k per year but I’ll plan on staying here, getting involved in research, keeping high grades and going to a top institute if I decide to do grad school.

Yes, debt stinks and does hinder you. It also forces you to work harder. Both my sibling and I had to work hard during college. I had three jobs and I went to an Ivy. No debt at graduation at all because I paid for living expenses while there. Listen, it’s worth it. You graduate live with other people (3-4 roommates for a few years) then do your thing and buy a house whatever. It taught me to be frugal. Both my sibling and I are in the top 1-3% ( reason is mainly hard work and having a plan).
As to your question of when to transfer, it depends. You want to ensure you get the most bang for your buck. That is, if you are going to go to RPI, go when there is still time to make friends (who will become you associates down the road) and also to take the classes which will set you up for success. You might even be able to find a professor with whom you can connect.
Yes, double check the FA, it cannot hurt. But don’t sell your future short because you want to save a few bucks. Look at it as an expensive car payment over many years. Or make it shorter and take a second job out of college ( bartender etc). Also, the numbers matter. If you calculate 7K additional salary RPI v. UA then you can figure out how long it will take to pay back the benefit.
When you graduate go for the most money for the first job to set yourself up. Then you can move to another job at the higher salary. Do NOT go for promises ( stock options, growing co etc, etc-these will always be available and you can do them in your forties and fifties). Make good money in your 20s and 30s and you will be set up. Good luck.

I know this late, but I’m going to go with the statement that it really depends on you. RPI offers a lot of career opportunities you might not get at other institutions as easily. If it’s affordable for you and your family and you only need to take out federal loans, I’d say it’s worthwhile. If not, remember there’s always graduate school.