UMass Amherst vs purdue vs Uwisconsin madison vs UT Austin. Which one should I chose?

Purdue has not raised it’s prices for tuition/room and board since 2012. What has seemed to have happened is that their Presidential and Trustees Scholarships are not as generous as they were then. As it is only about 10% of their incoming class get a merit based scholarship. In general I think all of the schools mentioned are peers. They differ in their location but not in the value of the degree. Unless one of them significantly fits you better than the others I would consider cost the determining factor.

I think my dad would have to borrow! @MYOS1634

And what about UMass? Does it increase the tuition every year?

If your dad would have to borrow then choose the least expensive option.

Yeah! Even I feel UMass is the best option. @MYOS1634
Just want to know if UMass increases its tuition.

My d was accepted to UW, UMass, and Purdue for engineering. UW was her dream school. She had an opportunity to meet with one of the engineering professors and his lab and was sold. Sadly, UW did not offer any money. In the end, she chose Purdue. They did provide some merit money and she really wanted to spread her wings (we’re in state for UMass). My husband encouraged her to choose Purdue, even though it was more expensive, because of their reputation. She’s a senior now, has had great internships, and has a job lined up after she graduates. It’s a rigorous curriculum. Our older d graduated from Cornell in engineering. Compared to Cornell, Purdue requires more electives to be in engineering. Purdue also has a large international population. I hope they provide you with a competitive offer. Best of luck on your decision!

What do you want to do after your undergrad? If you want to go into the workforce any of the above will get you on your feet, UT, UW, PU may have a better/larger network and other than in New England all are more recognizable to recruiters. My son is a Soph at UMD. If you don’t like being taught by TAs, even in 300 level classes, you might go to UMASS.

If you are at all interested in going on to a PhD, I’d look at the place where you can get involved in Research as early as possible in your Undergrad, if possible in the fields you mentioned.

I’m obviously bias’d towards Purdue. I’ve 2 degrees from there and have two nieces that currently attend and have been in touch with them since Mitch Daniels became President and have friends who are faculty there. Mitch’s plan is to cut fat, increase fundraising and not just blindly raise tuition because everyone else does it and the market doesn’t care (i.e. they will pay it). I’d be surprised if it raises anytime soon.

How much is she paying at Purdue? @mysmom
And yeah I feel Wisconsin is expensive considering the fact that the mentioned colleges are almost equal for CS.
Apart from reputation what made your decision to chose Purdue over UMass. Reputation does matter but I just want to know if there is anything else better at Purdue.And Purdue is not very costly. I just want to know if there is anything else better at Purdue compared to UMass.

I am planning to do Masters and then move into the workforce. @BrianBoiler

UMass definitely raises tuition each year. The number he is citing is in range of the UMass Cost of Attending so it does include fees.

My cousin said that at Purdue u pay the same tuition every year. He said that even if it increases it will affect the coming freshman but not the rest. He isn’t sure about it though. Do they have such policy? How far is it true? @mysmom @BrianBoiler

We live in Indiana, and only know that Purdue announced the freeze in 2013, and has announced it will continue an additional year, through '18-19. There is nothing that I can find that says that any tuition increases, if implemented after next year, would only apply to future, not current students. If tuition were to increase for '19-20, there does not seem to be anything requiring Purdue to apply the increase only to new students, not current students.

Also, with all CS/Engineering programs, read the fine print to see what additional program fees are charged. Purdue charges CS and Engineering students an additional $2050 fee per year. Tuition for international students is $30,800, plus the $2,050 for CS, plus room and board. Travel to Purdue would involve flying to Indiananapolis.

Thanks for the clarification! @Midwestmomofboys
Yeah I know that there is an additional fee for cs and engineering and for international students.

I’m not sure a Masters in CS really means anything. I believe if you want graduate work, you just go on straight to the PhD. That was my son’s intention and why he chose UMD. However, he now has realized that he doesn’t live and breathe CS 24/7 and would like to work to live and is now thinking he’ll go straight to the workforce. Just something to consider what PhD in a subject really means.

I believe the policy at Purdue is as stated, that your tuition is frozen the year you start. It would be worth looking into, I believe my brother (niece’s Dad) told me that was the case when I asked if he was worried about the tuition going up after the first year.

Are you sure about that policy? @BrianBoiler

not 100%, that is why I said it is worth looking into. I didn’t read it. I’m sure my brother told me. :^)

Also, the weird thing about policies, they can be changed. But, I don’t think they would after you’ve started.

Thanks @BrianBoiler ! I’ll confirm it with Purdue by sending an email to them.

@pat07ek Sent you a pm.

@pat07ek You will have many internship opportunities at UMass. There is a large alumni network from UMass throughout the Boston Tech Corridor which is a top area for CS employment. UMass has a great reputation for CS in Mass/Boston and a large international pop. I would not pay more money and certainly any increase in fees for UMass will not be astronomical. Maybe 1 to 2 k over your time there.

@PengsPhils Any incite?