I got into both for Industrial Engineering; however I might switch to math or statistics later becuase I want to become an actuary. My parents can pay for both, and both locations seem fine in my opinion. My question is which school would be better for engineering. I know that UIUC has a great actuarial science program, but putting that aside which do you think is in a location that provides for better job opportunities. I live in cali so i pay OOS tuition for both.
Both are good schools. If Mom and Dad are footing the bill, then go where you want or go where they want you to go. 
You have no real loser in this choice. You can get internships and jobs at either. Both are recruited by the same or similar companies.
Around the Midwest, UIUC is considered to be more difficult to gain entry to, and it has a higher level of academic prestige.
On paper they seem like very similar universities with UIUC being slightly higher ranked by USNWR. They are both in modest sized college towns, in the middle of farm country. They are similar in size, similar in athletics, etc. My D visited both and while she loved Purdue she really disliked UIUC and didn’t bother applying. On the days of our visits, the faculty at UIUC seemed rather aloof and the campus kind of dingy (that was our perception) while at Purdue students kept asking if we needed help, the engineering presentation was very well organized and the campus seemed very clean and nicely landscaped. If you get a chance to visit before you make your decision do so. Your experience might be quite different. She is currently an engineering student at Purdue but I don’t think you can make a bad decision.
@lvvcsf @Zinhead @"Erin’s Dad" @TheDidactic let me ask you this. in which school would it be easier to switch majors? preferably to math or cs.
CS would be extremely tough to switch in to at UIUC. Math and stats should not be hard at all. Don’t know about Purdue, but I imagine that switching to CS there should be easier than attempting the same at UIUC. However, UIUC CS is much higher ranked/esteemed than PU CS.
FYI, there are also “Statistics & CS” and “Math & CS” majors at UIUC. You may want to look into them.
These 2 schools are very similar in location. They are within 2 hours driving distance apart. Neither town would be exciting though. UIUC’s academic campus is slightly larger than Purdue (not including the airport, golf course, etc). The engineering campus is very beautiful too. I am a little bit disappointed with Purdue’s campus during the visit a couple years ago. They boasted to have one of the best dorm food in the country (#14 I think) but I think that may have been changed for cutting cost.
Both schools have great engineering programs. They are close enough that you can forget about the ranking. UIUC would be slightly more expensive than Purdue for OOS but they lock the tuition for 4 years. UIUC also sucks in financial aids.
I would say visit both if you can and then decide. The campuses have a very different feel.
@ssjr16 how would you describe each campus’s feel? i dont think i will be able to visit until april by which it would be too late.