Hello, I would like to know which is the better school for better job outlook, research purposes, and overall academics. I am well aware that Rutgers itself is ranked higher but ISU has a bettter engineering program, according to US News rankings. Which college has the better “college” experience, better facilities, etc. etc.?
Answering that question relies 100% on how YOU define your parameters. They both are large schools with big time athletics and good engineering programs. The locations are different in many ways though and at the fringes, the programs will differ too. What matters to you? What type of engineering?
Ok, I want to major in Aerospace Engineering. Tuition costs matter significantly to me as well. I also would like a college in a town. A small class size(20-30 people) is also preferred. There has to be school spirit as well. Getting to one class to another should be easy as well, with walkable distance. Facilities must be top notch. Crime rate has to be low. There has to be a lot of diversity.
Bump
First off, you don’t need to bump posts here. Posters are pretty active and will reply if they have anything constructive (or sometimes not 
) to offer.
Now on to your quest.
I might be missing something, but it doesn’t appear that Rutgers has an ABET accredited aerospace program.
How did you narrow to these two finalists in the first place?
I live in New Jersey so my state college is Rutgers obviously, And ISU was something my friend told me about. The only problem I have with Rutgers is that I will be paying around 25k, with financial aid and with dorm. At ISU, I will be paying a lot less. I would like to know which might be the best, if not for AE maybe ME could work as well.
Ames is a classic Midwest college town, relatively small and surrounded by rural land. The crime rate is low. It is mostly white (75%), but Iowa is mostly white. They have big time sports and good school spirit. The engineering program has a reputation for high quality undergraduate instruction. I can’t speak directly to the facilities, but they house a National Lab there (https://www.ameslab.gov) so I’d assume the rest are up to snuff. If it’s cheaper and they offer AE, it seems like a good fit. Depending on where you are in the process though, there are lots of other schools that might be good fits too.
Considering your criteria, Iowa State would be a better fit, and if it’s cheaper, then all the better.
Have you looked into UAlabama? Excellent engineering and merit scholarships would make it cheaper than Rutgers, and it meets your other criteria too. uAHunstville is an engineering campus in the middle of a research park wirhblits of ae - related companies. Ncsu may be of interest too.