Safety Schools for Computer Science?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm looking for some safety schools on the East coast for computer science. I'm also possibly interested in engineering, so I would prefer a school that has a decent engineering program as well. Good merit aid is a must as I will likely not qualify for much need baed aid, but there's no way that the EFC is realistic for my situation.</p>

<p>I have a 4.0 UW GPA (school does not weight) & will have 7 AP & 5 dual enrollment courses by my senior year. I do have decent test scores - got a 33 on the ACT w/ no prep and hoping for a 35 or 36 with some prep. I'm team captain and head programmer of a FIRST Tech Challenge team and have very good references from coaches/mentors involved in that. I've been in FIRST robotics programs all four years of high school and have been successful on a state and national level. I've also mentored FIRST teams with younger kids since sophmore year. I have ridden and worked with horses for all four years of high school. No real awards from that, but mostly because I've not competed at a high level. </p>

2

<p>SUNY Stony Brook has a great engineering and computer science program. I wouldn’t call Stony Brook a safety per se, but they do have around a 35% acceptance rate so its not too bad.</p>

3

<p>“Good merit aid is a must as I will likely not qualify for much need baed aid, but there’s no way that the EFC is realistic for my situation.”</p>

<p>Well, how much merit do you need? How much will your parents pay?</p>

<p>“Good merit” is subjective. If a school costs $40k, but your parents will only pay $15k per year, then you need a full tuition award so that your parents money can pay for room, board, and books.</p>

4

<p>“Good merit aid” meaning full tuition, yes. Basically, I want one or two colleges that are complete financial safeties. I already have a few on my list that will likely give me some merit aid, but none that seem likely to offer full tuition. I’m assuming this will mean acceptance rates around 70%, which is fine, I’m just having trouble figuring out which less selective colleges have at least decent computer science programs. </p>

5

<p>does it have to be in the NE?</p>

<p>Alabama would give you Free Tuition PLUS $2500 per year. It has an acceptance rate of about 45%, but it would still be a safety for you.</p>

<p>Alabama has new STEM academic space…900,000 square feet of new STEM space…gorgeous and state of the art.</p>

<p>Very good Comp Sci program. ABET accredited.</p>

<p>I think Bama is the highest ranked school that would give you this much. Your remaining costs would be about $12k per year.</p>

6

<p><a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #300 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #300 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums; is a list of full tuition to full ride scholarships. Your stats qualify for lots of them, although you then have to check how complete their CS offerings are.</p>

7

<p>@mom2collegekids - Thanks for the suggestion of Alabama; definitely looks like it is affordable, although the heat down there might do me in. :p</p>

<p>@usbalumnus - Thanks for the list, hadn’t seen that one before.</p>