I agree, it’s nice that NEU has a solid co-op program and that it is in Boston but UMass is a great school for the money. (#76 in the US via US NEWS) This being said, do you know what major you are interested in? This should be important for picking a school since program rankings are important. Interestingly UMass Amherst actually outranks NEU in a couple of areas such as CS and Engineering. (as well as couple others) Lastly, I would take a good look at all your schools and their cost before you pull the trigger on a school.