Hey, I’m gonna be applying to for college soon and I’m wondering if there are any good schools for computer science that are not the “top” schools. I get pretty great grades and done many things during HS relating to technology, but my SAT score is low. Any SUNY schools? I’m not trying to spend a lot of money either. I’m basically gonna have to take out loans and find a job because my family really can’t afford it. And I’ll be applying for scholarships, but I’m not gonna bet on that entirely.
Sure. Good for you for moving forward despite your low SAT score.
What are your grades, if you don’t mind me asking.
Are you in-state NY student? Ask your mom/dad/caretaker if your household income is under $110K a year (and I think it went up to $125K recently) you would qualify for FREE TUITION at SUNY and CUNY schools – although NOT free room an board, which can be several thousand dollars. That’s the Excelsior Scholarship. You need to graduate from a NYS high school and major in STEM at college and then work in NY for a period of time. If you can do all of those things, that will reduce your bill significantly.
Are you a NYC resident? You could live at home and attend a CUNY. You may want to try City College or one of the other CUNYs – check this engine to see what schools offer computer science – http://www2.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/explore/programs/
That being said, I would check out–
Stony Brook
Binghamton
University at Buffalo
University at Albany
CUNY Brooklyn
CUNY City College
CUNY Baruch – also with Wall Street contacts
CUNY Queens
CUNY Hunter
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Polytech
SUNY Oswego
SUNY NewPaltz
Do you qualify for the Excelsior Grant? Outside scholarships won’t cover a lot of costs, so don’t depend on those.
Check the [SUNY info. Spreadsheet](https://www.suny.edu/attend/academics/admissions-quick-facts/) to see which campuses you’re competitive for based on your stats. Is there a SUNY you could commute to from home? It might be a good financial safety.
Hi Mr. Shnack – You should also be aware that you can apply to several PRIVATE schools that don’t look at your SAT/ACT scores. Several of them are looking for low-income students and would be happy to give you money to go to their school in the form of Financial Aid.
These schools are called “test optional”.
It might be a good idea to 1) apply to SUNYs and CUNYs that interest you and 2) apply to a few test-optional schools with great FA and see what they will cost. It is the case that some private posh schools may cost you LESS than a SUNY or CUNY even with the Excelsior. Or that will cost a little more but may give you the guidance that you prefer. The only way that you will find a posh private school that gives you money, however, is if you apply. If you were my child I would recommend that you look at, in addition to the SUNYs and CUNYs –
Hobart and William Smith
Union College in Schnectady--excellent FA
Alfred University (not Alfred state college) (not test optional but I think your scores are in their range)
Bard
Connecticut College (you can take advanced CS courses across the street from the campus at a service academy)--Excellent FA
Wheaton College in Massachusetts
Drew University in NJ
U of Maine at Orono -- currently matching in-state tuition -- and would cost about $15 K total --
If you want to be in NYC or could see yourself working there, City College (CCNY) is a great school for STEM in general. I’ve also heard good things about Queens College in Flushing. They are cheap options and not especially competitive to get into for the value you get out of them.
Stony Brook on Long Island is more competitive, but it’s an R1 school so you’ll have no shortage of research opportunities.
You don’t need to be majoring in STEM to qualify for Excelsior, which is just income based. There is another scholarship for STEM students, I think, but I never looked into it because my kids aren’t STEMmers.
If the OP is eligible for HEOP, for instance at Stony Brook, that could provide scholarship money and require a lower test score.