Northeastern vs. University of Delaware vs. Tulane

College Search & Selection
1

Hi guys, so far I’ve gotten into Northeastern, University of Delaware, and Tulane. Northeastern is my top choice, but the only aid I received was in the form of Stafford Loans. At the University of Delaware I didn’t receive any aid, but even though I’m out of state the tuition is much lower than many of my other school. Then, at Tulane I received $20,000 annually, but I would still have to fly home 3-4 times a year ($350+ a round-trip flight). I also go into Rutgers and Penn State University Park, but these schools are at the ones at the top of my list. I’m also waiting to hear from McGill, Boston University, and New York University, but even if I get into the second two, I don’t imagine the tuition will vary much from Northeastern’s. I just need help making a decision, because this is driving me insane.

NEU Pros
-Location (Perfect college town, many activities, more manageable than cities like NYC)
-Political Science/Media Studies combined major
-Co-op (Feel like this would not only help with job placement, but it would also show me exactly which career I wish to pursue)
-Campus-feel in a large city
-Ideal size (Around 17,000 undergraduates)
-Good reputation that only improved in recent years
-Strong study abroad
-Dream school…
NEU Cons
-$62,000 annually with only $5,200 in Stafford Loans (I’m only paying for about half of my tuition, but I’d still be left in tremendous debt)
-Difficult to work with financial aid office (Traveled up to the school and I had an awful experience)
-Lack of unity among student body (Not sure if this is true, but some people report a lack of school spirit)

Tulane Pros
-Large merit scholarship
-Surprisingly strong Political Science program
-Unity among student body
-Emphasis on community service
-Many students come from the Northeast (I won’t feel out of place)
-Students generally seem happy here
-Strong study abroad
-Culture of New Orleans (Food, music, art)
-Beautiful campus
Tulane Cons
-Worried about getting a job in the Northeast after graduation
-Weather (I do not do well in extreme heat and humidity)
-Safety (I know Tulane’s campus is generally safe, but I’m not so sure about the surrounding area)
-Distance from home (Would need to fly home)
-Party school reputation, despite strong academics
-Not necessarily a “college town” (Unlike Boston)

UDel Pros
-Distance from home (Less than 2 hours)
-Nice campus
-Strong amount of student involvement
-Was invited to apply to the World Scholars program (New program with a strong international focus)
-Good dorms? (Some seem far better than others)
UDel Cons
-Party school reputation
-Lack of activities not involving drinking (I have no problem with college parties, but I want balance and I’m not sure if I’d find that being as UDel is located in a town rather than a city)
-Campus Safety (I’ve read that there’s tension between Newark residents and the UDel student body)
-Less selective

So overall you can see that I’m really torn. Once I hear from McGill, BU, and NYU things might change, but as of now this is my dilemma. Any insight would be appreciated, thank you!

2

Talk to your parents about what is affordable. I would certainly not get into debt (over allowable loans) for Northeastern when you good other options. FWIW, my D’s good friend is at Tulane – it was not her top choice to start off with but she also got an excellent merit grant and absolutely loves it there.

I would repost when you know all of your options – including the net cost for each college.

3

Thanks @happy1 ! I know that going into debt isn’t a good financial decision, but it’s just hard to let go of the dream. And I’ll definitely repost then, but I just need come clarity for the time being. :slight_smile:

4

Definitely pick Tulane. It’s better than UDel and at least on par with Northeastern.

5

Thank you @LBad96 :slight_smile: I’m leaning towards it, as it’s the best choice financially in that tier of schools, but the main thing holding me back is the location (The distance from home and the weather)

6

If those two are your top choices, what are their net prices after financial aid and scholarships compared to NEU, Tulane, and Delaware? If one of these is an in-state public university for you, it may be the lowest cost option for you – and if it is at the top of your list, so much the better.

How much debt would you have to take out for each school?

7

Sorry, I didn’t phrase that well @ucbalumnus . Northeastern, Tulane, and UDel are at the top of my list, not Penn State and Rutgers. Rutgers is my only in-state option, and it come out to around $25,000 a year for me (No scholarships were awarded). Penn State on the other hand is in the mid $40,000s, so I’m not considering it as much because I feel like the education is comparable to Rutgers, but it costs so much more.

8

Which state are you in?

9

New Jersey!

10

To really like Northeastern you have to be ALL ABOUT THE CO-OP. You’re right that it affects the overall campus experience: starting in your sophomore year, a percentage of your friends will disappear off campus for months at a time while they’re on co-op. And while most stay in the Boston area and you can still see them in the evenings after work and on weekends, it’s not the same as hanging out together on campus between classes.

As the parent of a Northeastern grad (who loved the school) I’d recommend Tulane. You will save a lot of money, live in a fabulous, exotic city (plus I think it’s good to go to college in an area different from where you grew up) and have a traditional college experience (unlike at Northeastern) at a respected university. I don’t believe the “pros” of Northeastern are worth the money when you have other excellent options that cost less.

11

Oh, I see. From one New Jerseyan to another, don’t be afraid of going far from home. I used to only look at schools within a four-hour drive from home. I was so sure that I’d be staying in the Northeast. But I found two schools South of the Mason-Dixon Line, applied to them, and got into them both (along with four northern schools). I decided to go to school in North Carolina (over schools in CT, FL, NY, PA, and NJ) for a completely new challenge. I had to take the Amtrak for move-in day, but flew back for winter break. I’ve loved every single moment so far and I’m eager to start the new semester next week. It’s truly been my best fit and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.

If your parents have the money, are willing to spend it, AND Tulane is a good enough fit, why not? :slight_smile:

And whatever you do, at least don’t pick Rutgers over any of these schools. You’d be kicking yourself in the future. Penn State is better than Rutgers (and the gulf between them is worth the extra cost imo). UDel and Rutgers are equal for what it’s worth.

12

So what is the net price of each school, and how much are your parents willing to contribute?

Remember that you can only take out $5,500 in loans in frosh year without a co-signer, and co-signed student loans are generally a bad idea for both the student and the co-signer. Work earnings from a part time job during school should not be expected to be more than a few thousand dollars.

13

Thank you so much @katliamom and @LBad96 . Your opinions are actually really helping me make a decision, and thank you for taking the time to describe your experiences. And @ucbalumnus , I honestly don’t have the exact numbers worked out yet, but all I know it’s that $62,000 annually is too much, even if my parents were to contribute half (they’d be in massive debt too).

14

My D is also accepted at U Delaware and Tulane, among other schools. Tulane is definitely a school that is worth the experience if it is affordable, but paying a ton of extra money to go there that will put you and your parents in considerable debt is not worth it. Go elsewhere and visit New Orleans or look there for grad school.

I work with a U Delaware alum who had a great experience there. It is in a smaller city, but essentially a suburb of both Wilmington and Philly, with Baltimore and DC in easy travel distance for weekend trips. The campus was one of the safest we walked and there is almost always a love/hate relationship between college students and the locals. There are plenty of things to do there other than party.

Penn State is truly in a small town in the middle of nowhere and if you want to avoid schools with a massive party reputation, then that is definitely not the school for you.

I can’t say much about Rutgers, it seems like a good and growing school, but I don’t think I have seen as much disdain for a state flagship as I see for Rutgers from NJ residents posting on CC. My D would have had Rutgers on her list, but we are OOS and it is no bargain at all for OOS students.

Good luck!

15

Don’t worry about it being hard to find a job in the northeast coming from Tulane. It’s got a national reputation.

16

Is Tulane after the scholarship similar in cost to U of Delaware?

17

@Skates76 Thanks! Good luck to your daughter too, I also visited UDel’s campus and thought it felt safe. I just read otherwise on some websites, but I’m not sure how legitimate they were. And @citymama9 yes, the costs between UDel and Tulane are very similar with Tulane’s scholarship.

18

If they can contribute $31,000 per year, then it may be that only Rutgers is affordable. But if $31,000 per year would put them in “massive debt”, then their actual contribution is likely to be much less.

You need to talk to them now and find out what they will contribute without needing any more loans on their part. Your price limit can then be calculated based on their contribution (plus about $5,000 if you take federal loans or earn money from working during school, or plus about $10,000 for a stretch budget if you take federal loans and earn money from working during school).

What HS GPA and SAT or ACT score do you have? In the worst case, where none of the schools is affordable, there may still be a few full ride merit scholarships whose deadlines have not yet passed (but some have). If none of those are suitable, you may have to explore starting at community college, eventually to transfer to Rutgers or other in-state public university.

Big merit scholarship lists:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/

19

@confusedsenior02 You received neither merit scholarship nor need based grants at Northeastern? Was the money from Tulane merit or need based?

20

@ucbalumnus 3.8, 31 ACT. I don’t mind having debt when I graduate, that isn’t the issue. However, I feel there is a big difference between $85,000-$90,000 in debt (Tulane) and $125,000-$130,000 in debt (Northeastern). I realize community college would be the “smart option”, but I am pretty much definite that I’m not doing that.
And @TomSrOfBoston , I received $5,200 in the form of Stafford Loans and nothing else from Northeastern. I went up to the school to discuss receiving a merit scholarship with them, but my Financial Aid counselor was very unhelpful and the consensus between both FA and admissions was that they put their best foot forward with merit aid, and if I didn’t receive it initially I’m most likely not going to receive it later on in the admissions process. The money from Tulane was merit based, and I haven’t found out about need based money yet from them.