My d got accepted UIUC and now we are comparing instate UF (all paid by scholarships) but UIUC out of state fees. She got accepted Mechanical Engineering in both univ but UF is open to switch her major to Computer Engineering, her interest is more towards artificial intelligence specially prosthetic research and progress in that field. UF has state of art lab for prosthetic and they are in progress finishing that lab. What’s the scope in UIUC. She wants to continue research job or may be open for job after undergrad and continue research from there too. Any help appreciated
UIUC has very strong programs in MechE, BioE and CompE, but strong enough to outweigh OOS tuition at UIUC vs. free at UF? Unless money is no concern and she loves UIUC and hates UF for other reasons, I can’t imagine turning down a free ride at a solid state flagship like Florida. Just my opinion, but I don’t think there’s enough difference academically to offset close to $200K in non-resident total costs over 4 years. She could always get a masters at UIUC for free as a RA/TA 
Thank you @illinoisx3 Iam totally with you, UF is great school…but ranking is what driving D to UIUC and moving to North…she thinks will open more opportunities after undergrad for her research.
Maybe, but keep in mind that objective peer assessment of undergraduate teaching, research and academics may only be a small part of rankings you find online. Many ratings also consider financial, graduation, diversity and other factors that may be less important to some students compared to things like research opportunities, teacher performance, faculty/student ratios, class sizes, etc. With the possible exception of Cal-Berkeley, I would guess there isn’t a huge difference among the top tier R1 flagship state research universities like Illinois and Florida, unless perhaps there’s a specific area of emphasis or a professor within the major that has appeal or something like that. These programs are all top 10 or close at UIUC based on various rankings, but I’m thinking that there probably isn’t much dropoff until the top 50 or 100 perhaps, at least in terms of opportunities. Plus, an exceptional student is likely to make solid contacts and open doors for themselves at many colleges and honestly, $200K could pay for grad school without an RA or TA position;-)
And how does she want to pay for those opportunities? Does she have an extra $50k per year?
There is not $50k in opportunities at UICU.
That’s what we will find at Illini day @twoinanddone. If you are accepted in GT (hearing from senior who are in GT) you get great offers for 2nd/3rd year internships that pays good money to cover some of one semester and land in good paying job. We are not sure what is the renumeration but hearing good ranking school leads good internship and job right after graduation. We see UIUC is equivalent to GT.
My son got a great internship in programming last summer. It paid for his summer expenses with a little left for spending money. Definitely not enough to significantly offset the cost of regular semester tuition. His new research project pays only if grant money is available. Many undergrad research projects will pay $15 or $20 an hour or something, but not all of them do. I’d have to think similar research is available at most major state flagships including Florida?
Thanks @illinoisx3 Would you mind sharing your son major and which year he is…your advise is very helpful. Will show it to my d.
He is in his second year in Engineering Physics. UIUC Engineering is a great school, but it isn’t cheap, even for residents. Its reputation and job placement program are also very good among employers. There is also a good co-op program, I can vouch since I was in it many years ago. On the down side, increasing enrollments haven’t come with more faculty. I don’t know anything about Florida’s program, but it seems like it should be very close overall. Good luck with your choice!
@illinoisx3 - Florida school is great medical program but their engineering program is not very competitive. They are working hard to get their state of art labs…excellent and motivated faculties. Highly competitive students across from nation flock due to football Gator. Would you mind sharing what is Co-op program. Thanks a lot.
It’s similar to a summer internship in that you have a job with an employer. Instead of just one summer, you alternate semesters from work to school. It usually means a 5th year unless you come in with a ton of AP/college credits, but there is legitimate income from the work semesters. Many engineering schools offer this, but of course there is no guarantee as you have to apply for a position with the school/employer, usually after your freshman year.