<p>As far as selectivity goes, I have heard OOS UNC (my dream school)is as competitive as an ivy school. What are some other public universities that may not be as selective as UNC but are strong in academics. The reason being, I want to apply to Penn State but I question the strength of thier academic programs with huge class sizes and such for undergrad. education. Thanks for any responses!</p>
<p>Try Miami of Ohio, Clemson, William and Mary, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, and Wisconsin.</p>
<p>UNC OOS is not Ivy-selective, but it is very selective. Probably along the lines of a Top 20-25 school.</p>
<p>I second a lot of the suggestions that Schmaltz made. Good public schools that are easier to get into include Miami University (in Ohio), Ohio State, University of Maryland, Michigan, UVA (just as hard as UNC though), UIUC (Illinois), University of Texas- Austen, and Purdue (if you are considering engineering/sciences).</p>
<p>Why focus on public schools? The OOS students are usually near the top of their pools and most of the top ones are as expensive as private colleges and offer little aid to OOS students. So they are usually not a bargain all the way around for an OOS student.</p>
<p>Perhaps hmom5 the OP just prefers the atmosphere of a big time public school education. The kinds of things that very few privates can provide, at any price.</p>
<p>There are a lot of privates which have the same feel but are more likely to give financial aid. Nothing wrong with a public college, just want to make sure all understand the considerations.</p>
<p>While UT Austin is an excellent school, I really don’t see a close resemblance to UNC. The same with William & Mary and Miami U. </p>
<p>As mentioned, UGA, Michigan, and to a slightly lesser extent UVA are probably your best bets. </p>
<p>I agree with hmom that privates should not be ruled out entirely, but the few schools with similar feels to UNC are at least as selective (e.g. Cornell, Duke).</p>
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<p>Not sure what schools you’re thinking of, but IMO lots of less selective privates like Syracuse remind me of state schools.</p>
<p>Florida is also very hard to get into as they admit 3% OOS.
I hope you are still applying to UNC… It is also my dream school and I know the OOS chances are slim but I still feel as though its worth applying to.
As for Penn State, you can always make a big school smaller, and the way to do that at PSU is Schreyer Honors.</p>
<p>hmom5: Why focus on public schools? The OOS students are usually near the top of their pools and most of the top ones are as expensive as private colleges and offer little aid to OOS students. So they are usually not a bargain all the way around for an OOS student. </p>
<p>Even though UVa may be as selective as UNC, it is actually generous in terms of FA to OOS students through its Access UVa program. Most would say that even though it is a pblic university, it has the feel of a private institution.</p>
<p>I agree about UVA, but it’s an exception.</p>
<p>Once again the OP asked specifically for strong OOS public schools, not private.</p>
<p>UMD Chapel Hill
Pittsburgh
Ohio State</p>
<p>^^ Many people are under the mistaken impression that ALL public schools are cheaper than privates, even OOS. I think that is what hmom5 was trying to clarify.</p>
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<p>Where do you get your information? </p>
<p>UNC commits to meet 100% of the demonstrated financial need of all students that apply for financial aid by the deadline. Many schools, whether public or private, do not make that commitment.</p>
<p>Many private school supporters are under the impression that just because a school isn’t a public, assuming costs are equal, it’s automatically the better choice.</p>
<p>Of the top 5 public universities (Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia, UCLA, and North Carolina), UNC is definitely the cheapest for out-of-state students. </p>
<p>I would also recommend Univ of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, William and Mary, and Purdue (if you’re interested in engineering).</p>
<p>The state schools in South Carolina (USC, CofC, Clemson, etc) want OOS and have lower OOS tuition than many other states, about $22,000 to $25,000 plus R&B. They also offer merit scholarships to OOS students. CofC is 30%+ OOS.</p>
<p>georgia tech?</p>