Huh, my bad. I was looking at this list which clearly includes NJIT among DivIII schools: https://www.avca.org/res/uploads/media/AVCADIIIMenFinalPollRecords_4.pdf But obviously you’re right - now that you say it, I found them elsewhere shown as Div1. Thanks for the correction.
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I had the same thought. If he is passionate about volleyball, maybe start there. Another parent posted recently about a son who plays volleyball and mentioned there are very few D3 teams. I was curious and looked. It is a relatively short list, but it might be a good starting point. I noticed, for example, that Bard has a men’s varsity team. There are also lots of schools with club volleyball. Based on my own experience, I think it may be a mistake to write off the entire South and Midwest on the assumption they would be too much of a culture shock for a Massachusetts kid. I’m from New Jersey and had the same kind of ideas until my son started looking at Midwest schools a few years ago. He’s also Asian and grew up overseas in the most diverse environment you can imagine, but he’s happy as can be at Denison in Ohio, where he has a very diverse set of friends. For a sports-minded kid, the Midwest schools can be a great fit - a lot of them have excellent facilities and at Denison we’ve found there’s a real focus on how sports can help students develop leadership and other life skills. Many of these schools also offer good merit money. I find that I am kind of ashamed at the “coastal” prejudices I had been carrying around all these years, and I am glad both that my son will have a broader mindset and that now I will as well. So I guess I would encourage OP and her son to broaden their range at least at the initial stage, both geographically and in terms of type of school - he sounds to me like a kid who might do very well in an LAC environment.
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Agree.
There are many kids from northern states who come down to the large southern universities for college because they’re generous with merit, making them cheaper than northern in-state options (plus, the weather’s better). Similarly, many of the “southern” kids who are there hail from northern parents, who relocated to the south when the kids were young. It really is a hearty mixture of north & south in most large southern cities now (I encounter many more northern transplants in my city than bonafide southerners). As long as you target the larger universities in the metropolitan areas, I don’t think there’s much culture shock (other than toasty summers).
The cities and colleges in the South are often more diverse than other areas, but I understand if he wants to stick to the NE or areas he’s comfortable with. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/campus-ethnic-diversity
His stats would likely get him in VCU. It’s very diverse and urban as well, but it might be too big for him. Might be worth a look.
And many of us who have been in the South all our lives and our families for generations are progressive and welcome diversity, too, as did our parents and grandparents. And actually a lot of the Northerners who are relocating to my state are the conservative ones and they seem to be the ones leading the charge to dismantle protections we have in place to keep our school systems diverse and they want make it more “like it was back home” with “neighborhood schools” which results in “good” and “bad” schools. It’s a big problem that really galls me, but that’s off topic. And sure we do have plenty of conservatives, too, but don’t let your stereotypes about diversity get in the way of a great college.
Anyway, don’t write off the South or Midwest because you think it won’t be diverse. I’ll put Houston and Charlotte and Atlanta and Durham and Richmond right up there with anywhere for diversity. Feel free to write the South off because it’s too far from home or you don’t like the heat and humidity of the South or something, but diversity we got! Check this: Most & Least Diverse States in America
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Ok, well - my comment wasn’t meant to go in that direction. Just pointing out that we have a good mix here.
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Sorry I got off topic, but the resegregation of public schools is a sore spot for me.
Back on topic, I think that UNC-Charlotte and VCU are both good suggestions worth a look. He could also look at UNC-Greensboro. All of those are very diverse schools and would work with his stats. I don’t know about the volleyball opportunities.
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UMass-Lowell
Wentworth
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UMass Lowell has an excellent CS program, robotics and nanotechnology. We were very impressed with it. UMass Amherst has become pretty selective.
In the Northwest has he considered Lewis and Clark, U of Puget Sound?
CS involves a lot of math. Sounds like CS and math are not strengths. It sounds like he may want to into it for job prospects but maybe he could get some guidance on how humanities and social sciences, which he is strong in, can indeed lead to careers.
If he wants a direct path to career, a place like Wentworth certainly makes sense. Northeastern’s coop program could be helpful too, but that school is also very competitive these days.
Volley ball could be a deciding factor. Any chance of being recruited?
Endicott would not be good for CS. It is a nice school on the ocean, with a lot of career-oriented majors.
He can apply test-optional especially since he doesn’t need merit. Though his tests are very good for many schools. Look at this list thoroughly!
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This was my thought as well. CS seems to be the popular major now that people equate with being smart and getting money. But theres many types of smart and lots of ways to be successful. With a love of sports and doing well at English and humanities, I thought of sports writing (I have a friends son who does it.)
I get that these kids are young and trying to figure things out. My S23 is torn in a few directions and isnt totally set on a path yet. Heck, Im almost 50 and trying to decide what I want to do when I grow up. 
I think the best thing is to find a school that is a good fit that has options for them.
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I can’t speak to the east coast schools but, for CS with a weighted GPA of 3.9ish , SJSU, SDSU and Santa Clara are probably reaches.
A few Cal States to consider, CP Pomona, Chico and Sacramento.
UCR could also happen. Its really tough to rationalize the OOS tuition though.
LMU is a so-cal private that’s could work out.
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@ppurus be careful about falling into the trap of picking a school because it offers D3 basketball but outside of that it’s not a match for them academically.
Collegiate volleyball has a strong club level program with conferences and a national club championship.
Just keep in mind that club programs may vary greatly by school from small casual organizations to those that may field multiple teams that actively participate in tournaments etc. As your looking through potential colleges that are of interest, do a little digging into their club programs (How active are they? do they compete in a league?, do they participate in the national championship?) This may or may not matter for your son, but it will give him a lot more options to find a school that is a perfect fit
We are well versed in CS Programs, but know nothing about volleyball programs.
Whatever the general admission stats are for a given school you can expect CS to be much much more competitive for schools where you apply to a major. Might want to consider a LAC that has CS. They exist and admission is usually not major-based. This may be a better fit anyway. If he has not excelled in STEM and doesn’t wan to buckle down, a tech school might be a poor fit even if admitted. Sadly, few LACs are urban and cost could be an issue.
Santa Clara, SDSU SJSU-- not gonna happen in CS with those stats. Some one else suggest UNM. Good option! Also Colorado, Utah, even ASU. Probably all still difficult to gain CS admission but not as bad as CA schools.
There are ways to fit in CS to other majors too. My D is majoring in Econ and minoring in Data Science. She won’t be a full fledged CS major (and doesn’t want to be) but she will have programming skills. Other D is interested in Sociology with a Stats minor which involves programming. My nephew majored in Econ and minored in CS initially but by junior year had switched that and ended up as a CS major. Lots of paths forward for your son that are not the traditional CS pathway.
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UWA CS is nearly impossible especially for OOS. Just FYI.
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Also keep in mind that larger schools often have two CS tracks-- one in Engineering College and one in Arts and Sciences (usually though the math department). They are different curricula and have very different core requirements. A&S CS usually you don’t apply to the major as a freshman (later on declare or apply).
I still say everyone is missing College of Charleston - it’s a safety, has CS, meets the budget, is urban and reminiscent of the NE in that - it’s biggest out of state feeders (and it has a bit OOS population) is the NE.
I didn’t see the OP say anything about volleyball - but they have a club team.
Just seems to check all the boxes - to me at least - that it’s worth a look.
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I second this! And they are priced better than some private schools.
Thanks everyone for all the additional college names and suggestions on trying for CS minor/CS adjacent majors.
I completely agree that CS major in a well-known school is off the table. CS in Cal State schools will also be extremely tough due to impaction.
Thank you for the extremely thoughtful suggestions on focusing on fit and colleges my S will thrive in rather than just the school name.
I should’ve mentioned earlier that while my S is a very good volleyball player at the school level, there is simply no way he can get on even a D3 school team. He’s fairly talented but he’s not tall enough. At best he may be able to play on a club or intramural team at college.
So, we are not basing our college search on his ability to play or be recruited to a team.
Finally, we will definitely look into a few mid-west and southern schools! Perhaps we’re being too cautious about diversity and culture shock and things are quite different from our perception.
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There are several Cal states where CS is not impacted including East Bay, Sacramento, Chico for example so definitely worth looking into their programs. CS is a very marketable degree so school name is not as important as job experience through Internships.
Here is CSU Impaction index: https://www2.calstate.edu/attend/impaction-at-the-csu/Documents/ImpactedProgramsMatrix.pdf
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You can also look into University of Illinois (UI) campuses. They are not overly costly (ex. UIUC charges just over $50k/year for out-of-state) and have decent CS programs. Admission to them may not be a sure bet, but if your son really works on the essays, he should have a good shot.
I believe the student body is moderately diverse as well (double check me on this though).
Also, this is a little off-topic, but don’t give up on scholarships just because your son’s academics are the best. There are plenty of scholarships awarded for things outside academia (ex. community service, innovation/ideas for start-up, sports, etc). Checkout GoMerry for such scholarships.
My son has similar stats for computer engineering and is looking Purdue as a reach. Va Tech is another reach. Temple and UMass of course.
Buffalo seems good with a 1244 avg SAT and 3.61 avg GPA, #88 national ranking and AAU designation due to strong research. 18% Asian, 10% Black and 9% Hispanic.
Drexel has a highly ranked CS program and may offer some aid. 70% acceptance rate.