I’ve been reading some threads on schools that offer automatic merit scholarships based on ACT/SAT and GPA. I hoped people could offer advice on how solid the engineering programs are at those schools. They all come up as having an ABET-accredited program, but I’d like a better sense of their reputation for graduating capable engineers. The ones I see come up as having at least some auto-merit include:
Alabama (Tuscaloosa)
Alabama (Huntsville)
Auburn* (not really automatic but seems similar to Alabama standards)
Kentucky
New Mexico
Arizona
Arizona State
Delaware
LSU
Tennessee
Howard
Missouri
Mississippi State (Starkville)
https://www.admissions.msstate.edu/freshmen/money-matters/scholarships/academic-scholarships/
Iowa State
Also Colorado State and New Mexico Tech. Maybe a small amount from Colorado School of Mines
What ACT/GPA numbers?
For at least a general sense, have you looked at the USNews undergrad Engineering rankings? Folks often quibble with them, but they are certainly directionally correct,
From our search a few years ago, Ohio State had good OOS scholarships based on ACT/GPA and is a very solid engineering program.
Be careful, some automatic scholarships are no longer listed on the college web sites, or have been changed to be smaller or competitive.
Any ABET accredited engineering program will be good for preparing the graduate for that type of engineering. However, some may be better or worse fits for the student, in terms of things like curricular organization, in-major electives, out-of-major electives and general education requirements, etc…
An abet school will get you a degree that should lead to a job. But if your asking if a school like Michigan is the same as Alabama in engineering, I would say no. You just can’t compare the facilities, faculty and research expenditure and Alumni.
Just to compare I look at mechanical engineering at both and non scientifically look at the first 5 professors in alphabetical order. Michigan’s faculty were from like MIT, Cal tech and Harvard.
Also look at publications and the research their doing BUT…
If cost is an issue then go to the school that costs the least but has the best fit etc for you. If your goal is to become an engineer then do that.
Thanks! Lots of good advice here. Yes, I suspect we might sacrifice something by paying less, but with three kids to put through college (that’s the 212529 in my name), we do need to be cost-sensitive. The US News engineering ranking helps to get a ballpark, so I appreciate that lead. I’ll look into the other schools mentioned on this thread too, so thanks for the help.
Howard 148
Alabama 124
Alabama Huntsville 118
LSU 106
Missouri 95
Kentucky 95
New Mexico 85
Auburn 69
Arizona 64
Tennessee 58
Delaware 47
Arizona State 44
Several of these schools let you put stats into their website calculators and see what scholarships are triggered.
UA Huntsville campus is physically situated in a large research park. Co ops and internships are abundant. College Job Fair every fall and spring.
Huntsville’s economy is growing at a rapid pace. In 5 years they are set to be the largest city in Alabama. Already the dining and entertainment venues are popping up quickly. And check out UAH website for plans to build a new anchor of housing, dining, retail shops and office space on UAH campus. Giving the campus a more college town feel.
My son is a freshman engineering student. We are very happy with the quirky student vibe, the full tuition scholarship, and the private bedroom in a 4 person suite with 2 bathrooms, mini kitchen and common area.
Feel free to ask questions or PM me to learn more about our UAH experience.
You may find it helpful to look at the employees listed on career fairs. Typically, the larger engineering schools have 1 to 2 carrer fairs in the fall and spring semesters. Look for the number of big name companies.
The big name companies don’t really matter. Few will get a job with Amazon, Google etc. It’s going to be the no name companies that you most likely will get a job at. A patient of mine works in manufacturing and is starting to use robots with AI to sadly replace workers for repetition work. They are either owned by Toyota or their major supplier. He said they “need” engineers like now. They can’t get enough qualified people. He said lots of them make "6"figures. That sounds good to me.
Also another patients daughter just graduated from Alabama. Loved it and her first job is with Tesla. I think their doing fine.
@Mama212529 the rankings you posted are for the grad school engineering programs rather than for the undergraduate engineering programs. At the undergraduate level, the US New engineering program rankings are:
Howard 132
Alabama 87
Alabama Huntsville 116
LSU 104
Missouri 104
Kentucky 87
New Mexico 87
Auburn 59
Arizona 55
Tennessee 59
Delaware 55
Arizona State 38
If your kids are top students, knowing the rating of the associated Honors Colleges might be useful too. I suggest you look at “Inside Honors 2018-2019: Ratings and Reviews of 50 Public University Honors Programs” by John Willingham.
Howard N/A
Alabama reviewed but unrated in 2018-2019 edition
Alabama Huntsville N/A
LSU 4.5/5
Missouri 3.5/5
Kentucky reviewed but unrated in 2018-2019 edition
New Mexico 4/5
Auburn 3.5/5
Arizona 4/5
Tennessee N/A
Delaware 4.5/5
Arizona State 5/5
I wonder if the goal is to end up living in the PWN, but must chase huge merit, is one hampered by attending school far way from PWN. Say going to school at BAMA major in electrical engineering but wants to end up in Seattle area. Any thoughts?
For big engineering schools, like BAMA, companies from all over the country come to recruit on campus and many companies now pay for housing for their interns and co-ops. I really don’t think there is any disadvantage.
@BingeWatcher help me out here Pwn?
@Knowsstuff I read that as Pacific Northwest
@momofsenior1… Thx. I looked it up and it didn’t make any sense to me.
OK, I gotta get off CC for a while… Weeds needs to be pulled.
Recruiting, even at the biggest name schools, is largely regional. Yes, big companies will reach across the country and most have pet schools probably based on confirmation bias from previous experience. Small companies however will hover close to schools in their region.
That doesn’t mean a student can’t land interviews and ultimately jobs at companies that don’t recruit their job fairs. They absolutely can. It’s just more of an uphill battle. At the end of the day, landing a job, assuming one has a good academic record and good hands on experience, involves a bit of luck. Networking is hugely beneficial as referred candidates get hired at a much higher rate than blind applicants.
Certainly, a Mizzou grad with stellar grades, solid hands on experience and good recommendations will probably have more opportunity than a C student from MIT who has nothing else on their resume.
What’s your home state and what’s the maximum yearly budget for this child?