There are two main groups of kids at the branches:
those who weren’t admitted to Pitt but want a second chance because they were close;
and those who never even applied to Pitt Main because they knew they had no chance, but join the Bradford Engineering transition program where they take one year of specific “remedial” classes and if they do well enough they’re allowed to join the program but these are the students at the highest risk of not getting into Swanson because their background is shakier (they’d typically go to Johnstown then - it’s not like they’d be stuck with nothing).
And then there are some students admitted to Pitt Swanson who can’t afford it, taking the scholarship at Bradford (generally: reluctantly) to get back to Pitt after 2 years. These are the students for whom the passage from Bradford to Pitt Main is the most certain.
For those outside PA:
Many branches have the same type of public as PASSHE but they undercut the PASSHE recruitment by promising a seamless transfer/passage to the main campus after 2 years and the lure of the alumni network, the better resources, and the prestige, all of which are “bought” by private funds PASSHE schools don’t have access to. So PASSHE schools are asked to compete without the means to do so (and their leadership has sometimes made stupid choices, but let’s face it theirs aren’t the worst in the State, Graham Spanier . Universities in PA have seen worse than falling on the wrong side of building luxury dorms v. funding scholarships.) Many branches offer general education and pre-req classes to prepare local students to prepare for transfer at the flagship - what CC’s do in other states but at triple or qaudruple the cost. Pitt followed suit and decided to compete agains those branches, further undercutting the PASSHE schools (which are the “true” public universities). The flagships are actually quasi-private and behave as such. They’re more like NYS’s contract colleges than publics. So, imagine if for instance there was no SUNY Bing, no SUNY Geneseo, no SUNY SB… only Cornell, Alfred, Syracuse (charging a high amount that’s slightly discounted for residents) and then SUNY Oswego, SUNY Plattsburgh, Morrisville, Delhi, and the CC’s, except the CC’s would cost as much as SUNY Oswego… That’s roughly the situation in PA. Add to this very low state grants that aren’t easily accessible. PA residents have to be very creative and parents there are even more stressed out than parents elsewhere.
Yes, there are those at the branches who are more than qualified academically, but can’t afford the main campus.
A friend of mine lives close to a branch campus and the child can live at home and commute there, and get a 4 yr degree there. And can afford it with $15,000 in federal and state aid, plus student loans. With a part time job he should have enough for gas and books and insurance.
If that is true, then being able to get a 4yr engineering degree (ABET accredited, albeit retroactively) at Pitt Johnstown at cheaper net cost, with coops and the diploma saying “University of Pittsburgh”, sounds like a real bargain.
I looked at it for D18, as she would be going into CS; the numbers just don’t work for us, but w/ OP’s contribution, UPJ definitely sounds like the absolute best option for her son.
re:ABET accreditation. Slippery Rock has a fairly new BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering. It is not accredited yet but I would assume they, like Pitt Johnstown, will be working toward that , and that can certainly be asked about .
West Chester U. is also offering a new Biomedical Engineering degree in 2019. I know this is not exactly what OP was asking about, but good to note for the future.
OP’s son is interested in CSE. But adding STEM programs at PASSHE, especially Engineering, is good since it was one of the huge problems in PA, in that engineering was often financially impossible.
I spoke with my son and he prefers to go to the Johnstown campus so that he does not have to transfer to another campus. I can’t say that I blame him. I am waiting for a call back from the Admissions office to confirm he will receive $5,500 annually in scholarships. I am also going to check to see if this is the max amount and if they offer any additional scholarships when they are upperclassmen. I also plan on contacting the Engineering department to ask them about the accreditation and co-ops. I never heard back from Bradford. Is there anything else that I should check regarding the Johnstown campus? I hope to visit so that my son can see the campus before he makes a decision between Ship or Pitt - Johnstown. He still may receive additional scholarship monies from Ship. Again, I do appreciate everyone’s help regarding this. You have provided me with information that I never would have thought of myself.
@Collegefrazzled it looks like your son would qualify for the Presidential, $5000 + $500 for housing. Though it isn’t automatic, your son clearly has great stats for this branch.
The fact that they don’t automatically rescind the scholarship is also a good thing; some schools don’t offer this opportunity.
I can see your son preferring this option as well @Collegefrazzled. Personally, I think Pitt is probably the better option, especially if they can guarantee the co-op.
Looks like University of Pittsburgh Johnstown is starting new engineering programs, so it may be a while before they are ABET accredited, assuming that the school is seeking ABET accreditation (check with the school on this).
Currently, the school has ABET accreditation in its existing engineering technology programs.
@ucbalumnus I posted info about ABET accreditation at UPJ further up in post #221.
Pitt has established engineering programs. The curriculum at UPJ seems to mirror the one at main.
I think the engineering program at UPJ started in 2016?
I wonder how that works that Ship’s computer engineering program is ABET accredited already but started in 2014?
Shippensburg is currently $23,000 for tuition, fees, room and board and minus the $2,000 scholarship $21,000.
I don’t know if OP ran NPC for Youngstown St because it’s 6 hrs away.
I don’t know if York aid was need based (variable) or merit based. OP said net price there was $19,000. (Not sure if that includes loan or work study).
UPJ would be about $14,000 for engineering tuition and fees, and $10,000 for room and board, so $24,000 minus a $5,500 scholarship.
So $18,500.
School stopped accepting apps for the technology programs in 2015.
I also noted the engineering programs weren’t ABET accredited, but someone posted this link upthread.
I did a rough estimate for my D18, and tuition & R&B came to around $23.6K. I think OP is still going to be short w/o taking out some parent loans, but I think that was the case with all schools they were looking at. It’s definitely tough.
Confirmed my son is eligible for 8,500 a year at Pitt Johnstown. Cost would be $18,500 year Regarding the ABET accreditation. I was advised - The programs cannot be accredited until the first graduates walk across the stage – that will be in 2019 – then we apply for accreditation and it should be done in 2020. We have been accredited by the sister organization for 40 years – we anticipate this going smoothly. Regarding co-ops, Co-op is not required it is available. We recommend it to anyone still trying to decide what to do – which path to take. However, all of the faculty have worked in industry so they teach a lot of practice and help students make decisions about career routes.
If he does do co-ops, it will take 4.5 years to graduate but this may be the way to go. @mommdc - York cost is 18,900 year that includes scholarships and a college grant. We are not interested in Youngstown. It is too far. 3 choices are enough for now. We plan on visiting Pitt Johnstown in March for an Engineering day. I told my son his options are Ship, Pitt Johnstown or York. Now I have to figure out the best type of loans to get. I have done Parent Plus in the past and then paid it off with a HELOC. I know I need to co-sign if we apply for private loans. Any suggestions?
You said in post #5 that your son does not like York. How do you see that changing?
Ideally, Pitt would be be your best bet. It is unfortunate that the finances do not work out for you. Pitt Johnstown sounds like the next best option. My understanding is the degree will still be from Pitt, a national university. Shippensburg is regional and not very well known in comparison. Of course, this may not be as important in something like CS or engineering. Check with the departments and career services to see where kids are getting jobs. Good luck!
Once more I’m going to say…if you “pay off” a Parent Plus with a HELOC, you really are NOT paying anything off. You are just transferring from one loan type to another. And using your HELOC means you are mortgaging your house to cover college costs.
Your decision…but really…you are NOT paying off a loan… by taking out another loan.
If you can do Pitt Johnstown for $18,500,you may have a chance to cover much of that by a combination of work study, summer employment, direct loans taken by your son. Perhaps some local scholarships? How much can you give him to help him out without having to take out loans yourself?