They do the engineering at the second school in a 3-2 program. Three years at LAC, and 2 in engineering program at an engineering program somewhere else. I am not saying that it is better or worse, it depends on your circumstances, who you are, and what you want.
I’m not a fan of the 3/2 programs, and agree that you should have been looking at schools that offer engineering. This way has more risks, you need to change schools, finances may be an issue, and it is an extra year.
But if you do go this route, be sure to understand exactly what you need to do in the 3/2 program to move into engineering program at the second school (usually specific courses and a pretty high GPA). And are you certain that your aid will follow you at whatever school you move to (if not, what will you do)?
The fact that the OP poster says he didn’t get a good enough aid package from other schools might be a sign that paying for a 5th yr for the same degree might be a financial burden.
A friend of my son’s planned the 3/2 at DePauw and wound up staying there for 4 as a physics major and is now headed to WashU for a program that in two years will get him a Masters in physics and BS in engineering.
He came to Depauw with a lot of AP credits.
Depauw is huge on Greek Life and it’s party scene is overwhelming at times, just something to keep in mind with this decision
@MaroonDaddy @MYOS1634 @happy1 @Mom2aphysicsgeek @OHMomof2 @transfer1313 So I have ruled out Depauw and Wooster has also increased my scholarship. So now, I have to pay 19500$ per year to each one and now Im thinking which one to go to. Do any of you have any universities in mind that might offer me full tuition based on my ACT and GPA. I talked with a lady at UAH and she said that one requirement was to show I had 35000$ available before applying even though I qualified for a full tuition scholarship; thus, that was not possible. I am thinking of double majoring in physics and chemistry if i dont get into a 3-2 Engineering University on a good scholarship. So what do you guys say? @mom2collegekids @mom2them
^Oh wow for the 35K requirement even if qualify for scholarship… that’ll rule out UAH for my applicants then. 
Yeah I can’t post a picture here otherwise I would’ve showed you my conversation with Sabrina Williams at UAH. So any recommendation @MYOS1634 ?
Knox and Wooster are both good schools with welcoming communities as far as I’ve heard. (We visited and liked Wooster very much.) Neither are really notable for engineering (or pre-engineering) as far as I know, but my sense is that Knox may be stronger in the arts and Wooster, with its required senior thesis and emphasis on mentored research may have an edge in the sciences. If those are your final two choices you might want to spend some time on the web pages for the relevant departments to see which has the most relevant and extensive resources for what you hope to study.
We have visited both Knox and Wooster several times, and they are both schools which will afford you a strong education with dedicated faculty focused only on undergraduates, in a welcoming community. My son is not interested in science as a major, so we did not focus heavily on the science resources, but I do recall during our Knox tour that the science facilities have been renovated. Wooster has the IS – independent student research for all seniors – which is a big part of the student culture. I agree with porcupine98 that you should spend some time on the websites for the departments which interest you at each school to see the class offerings etc.
In other impressions, both schools are in smaller cities/towns – Knox has more of an industrial base (it was a railroad hub, I believe) and Wooster more agricultural. Both schools are walking distance to town, though the student hang-out restaurants are just a block or two from campus at Knox and while Wooster has a cluster of seriously good, foodie-type restaurants, those were a little further from campus – a bike ride or more like a 20 minute walk. Both schools will be accessible to major airports (a couple hours), Knox runs shuttles to Chicago airports around break times, I believe, and Wooster is maybe two hours from Cleveland airport. Wooster is a slightly bigger student body, around 2400 students, and the campus is physically bigger. Knox does seem to have a more international student body, and the Men’s Soccer team has students from all over the world (and does very well, and gets great student support). As a parent, I was impressed by the opportunities at both Knox and Wooster, and saw that a student could do very well coming from either school.
Good luck, and congratulations on your scholarship!
OP, I also think you should try to go straight to an Engineering program, if you want to be an engineer - but it’s your life, and you may have your reasons for doing it this way. It is true that you will get a more personalized liberal arts background and education at the three small schools.
And if you get good grades at Knox or DePauw, you could maybe transfer to U of Illinois or Purdue for Engineering (I’m not sure your test score right now is high enough for U of Illinois, anyway. I think it is for Purdue, but both schools would also be too expensive for you.)
Fwiw, Knox is right by a train line that will take you to downtown Chicago in about three hours.
As for schools with Engineering… with your stats, you’d get a nice merit scholarship at SIU-Edwardsville or Southern Il U-Carbondale, but I think the deadline to apply for merit awards is in November, so you’d have to reapply next year, and - your Mom might not like them, as they are not highly ranked.
But SIU-Carbondale is under-enrolled every year, and if you’re interested, it may be worth a call to see if merit money is still left. I’m pretty sure you can still apply.
However - You may also be eligible to pay in-state tuition and fees at SIU-Carbondale, as well, given your GPA. They allow residents of other states with 3.0 or above to get in-state tuition, but not sure if it applies to internationals. Their website should be able to tell you that.
^ that would be interesting to know if SIU applied his scholarship to high stats internationals too.
http://cie.siu.edu/internationalstudents/prospective-students/undergraduate/scholarships.html
^ From the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale website -
"Effective Fall 2013, SIU will be offering an alternate tuition rate to high achieving undergraduate international students. The High Achievers Alternate Tuition Rate is based on merit and awarded to:
Incoming freshmen earning a composite 26 or higher on the ACT or an SAT composite score of ONLY the Critical Reading and the Mathematics composite equaling 1170 or higher is acceptable.
Transfer students with at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from the previous college level institution attended. Transfer students are defined as a student having 26 or more credit hours from another college.
This award allows undergraduate out-of state residents and international students to receive in-state tuition. Students should make sure they are eligible by looking at all of the requirements here."
I personally think SIU-Carbondale is an underrated gem of a school. My daughter applied there, and I would’ve been happy and proud for her to attend. (She chose another school closer to home).
It’s in southern IL, in a very pretty, scenic part of the state, surrounded by state parks and the Shawnee National Forest.
The closest airport would be in St.Louis Missouri.
There are many students from the Chicago area there, as a train, just a few blocks away from campus, runs into downtown Chicago in about five hours. You can also take the train into St.Louis.
There are only 11k students, so you get the benefits of a larger university, but have also the smaller feel of a smaller school.
If OP had the stats to get into DePauw or Wooster, he probably will be eligible for the Honors College at Carbondale, as well.
I think in-state tuition and fees are about 12-13k a year.
I think OP should ask about any merit awards he’d be eligible for, though, and if they’r still being given.
Their housing and meal plan prices are little cheaper than other schools in the state, too. All freshman in residence halls get an all-you-can eat plan for three meals and are allowed to go to dining halls at any time for free beverages.
@beeDAre : thanks, I didn’t realize it applied to internationals as well as oos students. Thanks. 
The key is, OP needs a 26 on ACT or equiv on the SAT.
Btw, this applies to OOS US residents, too, I believe.
And good news is, they’re still taking apps for Fall 2016. Even w/out merit award, the tuition will likely be much cheaper than at Knox, Wooster, or Depauw - and OP can go straight to Engineering.
However, if UA-H is still taking apps, and merit awards are still available, OP should really look into that; that may be an even better deal.
I thought the OP said that UA-H requires proof of finances, and that OP could not meet their requirements for cash in the bank. A question would be whether SIU requires similar proof. It could be that the public universities require this up front, and the smaller private LACs do not. If anyone knows specifically about university requirements or international student visa requirements, that could help the OP.
^ OP has indicated that even if they have a full tuition scholarship they must still be able to certify 35k available. Since students who need that level of scholarships don’t that the money - keep in mind there are countries where minimum wage is $3,000A YEAR)- that puts uah out of the list for most internationals including OP.
Ah, i missed that about UA-H, sorry. Well, that’s too bad.
I’m a huge fan of Wooster and know many kids who love it there. I don’t know anything about Knox.