My son was recently accepted to Shippensburg and University of Pitt for Computer Engineering. He does not qualify for scholarships at University of Pitt. He’s in the top 10% of his high school class.
Because of our finances, we can’t afford to send him to Pitt unless we go in tremendous debt. Does anyone on this forum have a child who has graduated or is attending Shippensburg for Engineering? How is the program? Do they help with internships/co-ops? I am so stressed about this and really need some feedback. Thank you
Not sure if this will help, but ask each school for a list of where their most recent graduating class is…% employed, what employers, grad school. If you see similar outcomes it should help your decision. They may not have this data for the most recent graduating class so you may have to go back a year or so. Best of luck!
You might also want to post your question in this thread: Best and worst PASSHE school?
York is known for Engineering - and I know my D (not as good a student as your son from the sounds of it) got a decent Merit Scholarship there for Nursing. I don’t think it is too late.
The instate cost of attendance at Pitt is about $33,000. The instate cost for Shippensburg is about $29,000. That is $4000 difference. Unless your son got some scholarship at Shippensburg you didn’t mention.
Can the kid take out a student loan or work to pay at least a good portion of that $4000 difference.
For OOS it’s $44,000 vs $36,000. Are you OOS?
Both schools are in state and my son received a $2,000 annual scholarship at Shippensburg. The cost difference between the two for 4 years is about $35K. He was accepted to York with scholarships but doesn’t like the college
I will post to the other thread. I am new to this forum so still learning. Thank you everyone
Thank you. I can’t find this thread
Ok…so Pitt is $6000 more costly than Shippensburg…with the scholarship.
Did you complete a FAFSA? If so, your son could take a $5500 Direct Loan in his name…which would almost cover the difference for attending Pitt.
I’m not trying to convince you that Pitt should be THE choice…but especially if your son has not already factore in that Direct Loan…Pitt could be affordable.
Things I would look at.
- I’m assuming both have ABET accreditation. If so...that means the engineering programs have met a certain standard. So either would likely be fine.
- Look at internship opportunities. What kinds of internships are available in summers...and what %age of students actually get them?
- Job placements...look at the job placements...where, what types, salaries, etc.
- Recruitment. Who recruits at each of these schools.
I will say…locations are VERY different. If your son wants to be IN the city, Pitt would totally trump Shippensburg.
We know grads of both schools who have done very well.
Do you know Shippensburg Grads in Engineering? I think Pitt is the better school but I am concerned about the cost difference. I was hoping to find someone who graduated with an Engineerng degree at Ship. Thank you for your help
I know business grads from Ship…not engineers.
Shippensburg has ABET accreditation in computer engineering, computer science, and software engineering:
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=907
Pittsburgh has ABET accreditation in a wider range of the usual engineering subjects, although not computer science or software engineering (it has bio, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial, materials, and mechanical engineering, and engineering science):
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=415
Obviously, you are unlikely to find engineering graduates from Shippensburg outside of the computing-related fields.
So the question is, is the student intending computer engineering (or a related subject like computer science or software engineering)? Or is he likely to want to change to some other kind of engineering?
Shippensburg Cost of Attendance is $23,000
http://www.ship.edu/Student_Accounts/Tuition_and_Fees/
Pitt Coat of Attendance is approx $33,000
https://oafa.pitt.edu/financialaid/costs/
You’ve received some posts here already, but here is the link to the other thread:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21042382#Comment_21042382
If you want reassurance they’ll be similar…they won’t. Funding is bad for PASSHE schools (I think there was talk of closing Ship actually) and if you visited the campus you can’t help but notice the difference.
Can you afford the costs if your son starts working (10h/wk now, full time after graduating hs) and gets the federal loans? Are you eligible for state grants? Have you completed FAFSA?
@laralei who does post 12 refer to?
Shippensburg was never considered for closing. Part of the issue is that PSU/Pitt/Temple receive state funding but are not truly state schools…they are “State Related”. They enroll and act often as privates. There maybe movement to decrease the funding towards the state related schools and move those funds in the direction of the PASSE schools and community colleges? Who knows. Having said that…the PASSHE schools have some issues but at no time was Ship ever considered for closing.
If funding the PASSHE schools became a state priority, fees would or could significantly drop.
One could easily make the case of “not recommending” the state related schools because of their budget issues not to mention the lack of leadership at PSU.
Just give good consideration to all options. Do what is best for your situation.
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/10/is_2017-18_the_year_penn_state.html
http://www.witf.org/news/2017/07/no-closings-mergers-recommended-for-state-owned-colleges.php
Please explain how this partially publicly funded state universities in PA function as privates?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_System_of_Higher_Education
The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is a statutory designation by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that confers “state-related” status on four universities located within the state. The designation establishes the schools as an “instrumentality of the commonwealth”[1] and provides each university with annual, non-preferred[2] financial appropriations in exchange offering tuition discounts to students who are residents of Pennsylvania and a minority state-representation on each school’s board of trustees. Legally, however, the universities remain separate and private entities, operating under their own charters, governed by independent boards of trustees, and with its assets under their own ownership and control, thereby retaining much of the freedom and individuality of private institutions, both administratively and academically.[3] It is the only public-private hybrid system of higher education in the United States that is so construed, although Cornell University, the University of Delaware, and Rutgers University[4] represent alternative types of public-private university hybrids.[5]
Auditor General DePasquale Says Penn State Shows Some Progress Since Sandusky Scandal; Background Checks Still Missing, Tuition Growth Outrageous
http://www.paauditor.gov/press-releases/auditor-general-depasquale-says-penn-state-shows-some-progress-since-sandusky-scandal-background-checks-still-missing-tuition-growth-outrageous
Auditor General Slams Penn State For High Tuition, Admission Bias Against Pennsylvanians
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017/06/22/penn-state-audit-results/
As in many other states, the “flagship”-level, full research university public universities have myriad funding streams other than tuition and public funding. They have endowments, they have meaningful alumni giving, they have federal and private research dollars, they have health systems they own, they have valuable patent rights, etc. Their boards of trustees include some government officers or representatives, but they do not control the boards. The public funding they do get is important to them, and they take seriously their mission to educate a broad range of students who are state residents. But as a practical matter they are largely independent of government control, they are power centers in their own right – Pitt is almost certainly the largest employer in Western Pennsylvania, and Penn State may be the largest in Central Pennsylvania – and they make lots of business decisions to maximize their revenue and prestige (including by accepting lots of out-of-state students) without regard to any government policy.
The PASSHE colleges, by contrast, have little if any meaningful funding besides tuition and government funding. They are owned lock, stock, and barrel by the state, and their management ultimately reports to and can be held accountable by the governor. They are truly institutions of state government. They are also – in part for that reason – much less wealthy and stable than Pitt, Penn State, or Temple. Their facilities are not comparable; they don’t have major research operations, they don’t have a lot of graduate students (other than for professional certifications), they don’t play Division I sports. There are differences among them, but as a group they are much more vulnerable to changes in the political winds (not to mention government budget crises) than are Pitt, Penn State, or Temple.