Got in Syracuse with 30k scholarship(tution71k), UMass with 16k scholarship Honor college(tution55k), University of Rochester with no merit(tution78k). Major in science and math.
Which college is better for science/math? Which one will you choose? Couldn’t make up mind. Thanks!
Are all of them affordable without loans? You didn’t specify which UMass, but if it is Amherst, I would choose the Honors college there. I don’t think the quality of the education at Rochester or Syracuse make them worth the extra money.
Sorry, yes, it is UMass-Amherst
UR didn’t release the loan yet. Syracuse and UMass-Amherst both offers $5,500 loan.
So for net COA Rochester > Syracuse > UMass, correct?
Can you afford all of these schools, or will they require loans beyond the direct student loan amounts each year?
I agree with helpingmom that UMass + honors college, at the lowest price, will be hard to beat. Plus at UMass you do get the benefit of taking classes at consortium schools (not sure how many UMass students do that though).
In terms overall education, I would rate them UMass Amherst, Rochester, Syracuse. When you factor in the cost, I just don’t see any benefit to the few thousand per year more at Syracuse and I definitely can’t justify paying the sticker price at Rochester. It is a good school but the HC at UMass is just top notch! Congratulations on a great acceptance!
Yes, UR is very expensive, plus no merit. UR ranking #34, Syracuse #69, UMass #68.
Thanks. Yes, will take loans, couldn’t afford it.
Thanks, it makes sense.
UofR and UM Amherst are different experiences. Size makes a large difference. You don’t know if you can finish in 4 years from Amherst. You should talk and confirm. If you can’t finish in 4, these cost calculations become very different. You should talk to as many kids as you can who are actually going to these two schools, and see which school fits you better – job placement, research opportunities, grad school outcomes etc and then decide. You should not depend on opinion from us who went to neither of those schools, and make decisions. You can eliminate Syracuse from the mix.
Let’s clarify here. Taking out the $27k in direct student loans is likely appropriate for the degree you are seeking. But that’s the limit that a student can take out in undergrad ($5.5K year 1, then $6.5/$7.5/$7.5).
If you need more loans than that, they will be on your parents, either directly or as co-signer…do you need more loans for any of these schools? If so, Syracuse and Rochester come off the list because they are not affordable.
What is the net COA of UMass and do you need to take more than the $5.5K loan year 1, or more than the $27K in total for that school?
Personally like UofR, like doing research. Also, it is R1 research school. But it is too expensive.
UR will give you $5500, every school will. If you need to take out loans UMASS is the no brainer.
For COA, UMass is the best, but I personally like UofR. I guess I have to take Syracuse and UofR off the list since I couldn’t afford it.
UMass Amherst is also an R1 university. There will be plenty of opportunities for doing research there.
ETA: link for UMass research info Student Research : UMass Amherst
Is UMass COA after the grants and $5.5K loan affordable?
You should ask them one more time nicely :-).
Don’t fall into the mind trap of the rankings, especially if they are from a magazine that hopes to sell issues. The data is so often manipulated by publications, and by the schools themselves, that it really doesn’t matter. There are about 4000 colleges in this country. You can find a ranking list that puts just about every one of them in a top spot for something. Really, a top student will succeed anywhere and job prospects will be just about equal (especially since people outside of NY think UofR is a NY state school…) unless you are targeting something like Investment Banking.
ETA Most people know of Syracuse because of their D1 basketball team and it really has very little to do with the school’s academic reputation.
UofR has a strong reputation in Economics. The Journal of Financial Economics, a well known journal in the field, is published out of UofR. So, if finance is a target profession, UofR is something you can’t throw away casually. Other than that it comes down cost and size preferences.
Why do you say that? I’m a parent in MA. While my kids did not go to UMass Amherst I know lots who have and have never heard of anyone not graduating in 4 years or having trouble doing so. Do you know differently or is this just speculation based on problems at other large state schools?
OP has stated Rochester is unaffordable, and “asking nicely” is not likely to result in them getting more money. Rochester is also well known for decreasing institutional merit aid after the first year and closing the gap with parent loans.
OP has an outstanding acceptance at UMass honor college. Next step is making sure that is affordable with ideally no more than the student loans.