https://catalog.louisville.edu/undergraduate/majors/mechanical-engineering-bs/#flightplantext indicates that the co-op terms are year 2 spring, year 3 fall, and summer after year 3. The two other summers require 11 or 12 credits each (presumably in 10 week terms), while the six fall/spring semesters in school require about 99 credits total (average of 16.5 credits per semester).
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Yes, that’s accurate. It does vary by specific engineering major, but it’s a year-round program for all of them. I think they still only pay 8 semesters of tuition. Some summers are co-op, and some summers are class so that co-op can be done during spring semester, for example.
My understanding is that, beginning long ago, they had mandatory 5-year master’s programs for each major. That’s what they did for decades. Later, they scaled it back to a 4-year bachelor’s, but it’s still pretty easy to tack on the master’s degree since that was their legacy program. Kind of a unique history and approach.
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thank you
thanks
You have some great in-state options that will be tough to beat in terms of price. But, I understand the desire to go out-of-state. Some possibilities to consider include:
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Kettering (MI): It’s on the smaller side of medium, but still what I would consider mid-size.
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Case Western (OH): Even with merit aid it’s not going to be cheap, but offers substantially more merit aid than other private schools of similar reputation in engineering
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U. of Cincinnati (OH): Loots of coop opportunities here as well
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Purdue (IN): Doesn’t normally give an overabundance of merit aid, but it’s a great value in comparison with other schools of its caliber
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Michigan State
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U. of Dayton (OH)
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Bradley (IL)
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Marquette (WI)
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that is very insightful, thank you
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My friends daughter is finishing mech E at SLU. They would give great merit. They have good aero opportunities as well.
eta: They can do a semester in SLU Madrid with mech E and not add on grad time as well if thats an interest.
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We are in MI and Purdue is less expensive than our in-state flagship (UofM). The downside is that you are not guaranteed your engineering major.
If you do not mind a very small school, consider Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, in Terre Haute, IN. Among STEM schools that do not offer PhDs, RHIT is ranked #1 in almost all engineering disciplines, ahead of better known schools like Harvey Mudd. I did the research, and graduate outcomes were comparable to UofM. My son’s stats were a tick below yours and they offered him merit aid equal to 50% of tuition.
Case Western is also generous with merit aid and they gave my son a package equal to 50% of tuition. We know someone with extremely strong stats - 4.0UW/near perfect SAT/many APs - who received a free ride at CWRU.
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We know several high stat students who received generous merit packages from THE Ohio State. My impression was that OSU was willing to buy strong students with aid.
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I would not recommend Kettering unless you planned to enter the auto industry. We toured the campus during one of my son’s Robotics meets and it was clear that the school was under-resourced. It is not as highly ranked as other schools people are recommending, and frankly, with your stats you can do much better. On the other hand, if you want to work for GM, Kettering has a pipeline into the company and alumni fill the company’s senior ranks, starting with Marry Barra.
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I’d personally choose Michigan Tech over Kettering, but it’s in the boonies.
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You have to know what you are getting into with Kettering. They required co-ops which provides great work experience but will take 5+ years for a BS. It is very connected in the automotive industry and somewhat in the oil & gas industry. It intrigued my daughter (chemical engineering student) but she ultimately chose Illinois Institute of Technology.
I’d pick MSU over MI Tech. It is higher ranked, has more resources, is near civilization and has a much larger alumni network. And let’s not forget that Kettering is in beautiful, scenic Flint.
Not sure where you are at in Kentucky but some options include:
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Illinois Institute of Technology (my alma mater and my daughter’s current school) is a private university located in Chicago and is very generous with merit aid. I think that they have about 2800 undergrads and 2500 grad students. Their mechanical engineering department has always had a very good reputation.
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RPI (mentioned by others) is a private university. Maybe a little far but it is a great school. They tend to offer decent merit aid plus quite a few miscellaneous scholarships (such as early application). Troy is not a huge town but is close to Albany.
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Missouri S&T (FKA Rolla) (mentioned by others) is public. Another good school for mechanical engineering. I know three alumni from there - all mechanical engineers and all worked for Caterpillar. Rolla is not a huge town either.
Purdue is huge and does not tend to offer much OOS aid (My daughter’s offer from Rose-Hulman would have made it less that Purdue). Rose-Hulman is great but small and definitely not in a metropolitan area.
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MSU is certainly more of a “regular school.” I like Tech’s class sizes and the project focused teaching style. At the end of the day, engineering is what one makes of it no matter where they go. 
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thank you - great info
What is the other half of the SAT score??
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Speaking of U Dayton, there are several merit scholarships that range from $13,500/yr up to approximately $27,500/yr. With Tuition+R&B coming in around $62K, you could bring your yearly price down to about $34K/yr with the top award. UDayton also has other smaller scholarships that could be won to lessen the cost even more.
https://udayton.edu/affordability/undergraduate/financial-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships.php
@AlexBravo If class size is a concern, even as a freshman (not engineering) two years ago, my son had 2 or 3 classes with 15 or fewer students. The class size has been a real benefit for him.
EDITED: to correct cost of attendance.
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Still not clear on budget. Kids in our area go OOS to Ohio State and Michigan State. They usually get enough merit to get the cost to our flagships of Pitt/Penn State.
WVU would certainly be affordable. They have a scholarship matrix. I’m pretty sure you would get the max amounts. I also think they stack some engineering scholarships too. Quick calculation would be $21.5k in merit so COA would be about $17k/year out the door.
Georgia Tech could be another option. Your son is carrying a lot of AP credits. Three years could be doable. Might have to take a summer class or two at a local CC. S20 will graduate in 3 years with ISyE. Lots of internships and co-ops. Number #2 behind MIT in the US News rankings…if that’s important. Straight shot down 75.
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