Rutgers vs UIUC vs Purdue vs UMD Engineering

College Search & Selection
1

I plan on majoring in either Aerospace, Mechanical, or ECE

Currently, Rutgers is 35k in-state with room and board, UIUC is 50k, Purdue is 45k, and UMD is 50k
My parents don’t want to pay for UIUC, Purdue, or UMD, but is the cost difference worth the benefits? For example, Purdue is much higher ranked for Engineering, and it’s around 10k more tuition. Would the 10k be worth it to go, or is the price significant enough to sacrifice the better program for the money? For the record, my EFC was around 12k if that helps with the decision.

Thanks!

2

if 100% set on engineering it doesnt matter that much but UIUC and Purdue are def better schools and will offer more opportunities

3

I would say Purdue if you can manage the extra $10k per year and you feel like the campus / location is a good fit.

It’s a really top notch engineering program and the least expensive of the non in-state options.

That said, with PE, you can do well anywhere you go! Good luck and congrats on these great options!

4

Looks like Rutgers is one of your better choices, since it does not appear that there are any special barriers to declaring or changing to an engineering major there (ask directly if you are not sure): http://soe.rutgers.edu/oas/first-year-declaration

In comparison, Purdue engineering majors are competitive-entry for first year pre-engineering students: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE/Academics/FirstYear/T2M

At UIUC, it may be difficult to change to majors which are “full”, which some engineering majors are: https://engineering.illinois.edu/academics/undergraduate/advising/changing-majors.html

Maryland also does not appear to have any special barriers to declaring or changing engineering major (ask directly if you are not sure): https://eng.umd.edu/advising-faqs

Not sure why you would want to pay more to get weeded out at Purdue, or locked into whatever major you were admitted to at UIUC.

Also, if your EFC is only $12k, but your cheapest option is $35k, can your parents afford more than the EFC? If not, it may be that all of your choices are too expensive (you cannot take that much in loans without a cosigner).

5

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I will most likely be going to Rutgers (partly because of my parents), but also because of the location close to home. I would still want to visit Purdue to see if the campus is something that I would like to consider.