Maryland, UIUC, Michigan or UCSB for Physics

My son was accepted into honors programs at Maryland, Michigan, UIUC, and UCSB for Physics next year. Can anyone offer advice on which program would be the best for graduate school acceptance and research. They all seem like top ranked programs. Michigan would be the most expensive by far so that may be a stretch for us. We are out of state and do not like the programs at our local state university. He is also hoping for acceptance into the UCSB CCS program but will not hear back for a few weeks. I would appreciate any feedback!

LMB

Are you a resident of IL, MD or CA? Because none of those universities are much cheaper than Michigan. In fact, UCSB costs as much as Michigan, assuming you are OOS and receive no FA or scholarship.

Here are how much they cost for OOS students:

UCSB: $59,000
Michigan: $57,000
Maryland: $47,000
UIUC: $47,000

My son was offered a scholarship at all of the schools except Michigan. Maryland would be the least expensive bubi also want to consider where he would have the most opportunities. I also like the idea of small class sizes and special housing in the honors programs.

Maryland has an excellent Physics department. If it is the cheapest, it is definitely worth choosing over the others.

They are all major research uni’s and you can build a good resume for grad school at any of them, grad school will depend more on him. Grades and good research experience are important. Did he get a Regents scholarship at UCSB? That includes priority class registration and college honors (although I don’t know what that entails) and advising.

Thanks for the responses. Maryland would be the least expensive so it is a top consideration. He was also accepted into the Gemstone program at Maryland, which seems interesting. Our only concern about Maryland is the neighborhood surrounding campus. My son did get the Regents Scholarship at UCSB so the honors program, housing, advising and priority registration are all benefits of the program. It is also a top program and the location is beautiful! Tough decision!

PLEASE HELP: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1749525-chances-at-texas-a-m-university-of-central-florida-maryland-rutgers-ohio-state.html?new=1