Hey guys!
So I recently accepted to PSU and Uni at Buffalo. Syracuse U has not sent out letters yet.I plan on going into electrical engineering. I am a resident of NY, so tuition at UB won’t be expensive; however, the other 2 will be a bit much. Since my family makes a considerably nice income I doubt my financial aid will be substantial, but I don’t know that as of yet. Based on what I have said, which school would you choose if you were in my shoes?
Just so you know, PSU awards virtually no financial aid, just the Stafford loans. And the largest merit award (not given to a large number of students) is $5,000. The bill for OOS students is pretty steep…I don’t know your stats, but SU at least gives out some substantial merit scholarships.
As I said in your other thread, my pick is Penn State, UB and Syracuse in that order if cost was not a concern. UB has a strong Engineering program and your return on investment would be greatest there. My son applied to UB and Syracuse for business and hoped to receive large merit aid from Whitman at Syracuse. UB offered $3,500 (off of $8500 tuition/fees). For Syracuse we learned that maximum offered for Newhouse was $12,000. The maximum offered for Whitman school of business was $20,000, which my son did not receive. I do not know what the maximum merit aid offered for the college of engineering and computer science was, but I doubt it would be more than these two merit aid amounts. There is also a full tuition merit aid (Coronat Scholarship) for the College of Arts and Sciences. I am not sure if there is any comparable full tuition merit aid offered for the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
I would not count on a great deal of financial aid from Syracuse. The only full scholarships offered are those mentioned for majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. My D is a freshman at SU, unfortunately not in that program. She was a National Merit Finalist and offered full scholarships at other universities. Syracuse has nothing comparable for even the brightest students studying in other majors. Beyond the financial question, if your family can afford it, I would look at the internships, networking opportunities and overall experience. Penn State has the largest active alumni chapter anywhere. Their engineering program is very highly regarded. I am not familiar with the EE programs at SU or UB but I would certainly give my full consideration to the PSU program. I know several alumni from that program that are very successful.