How does UMD’s Computer Science program compare to Udub’s? I am an OOS international student so the cost of attendance is the same at both. I am also leaning towards Cyber Security but I do not want to commit. Another factor to consider is that I was not directly admitted into Computer Science at Udub whereas in Maryland I was. Basically I want to know if Udub’s Computer Science program is worth the risk as approximately only 1/3rd of the admitted students for computer science will actually be able to get into computer science. Thank you for your input in advance! 
Who is Wdub? University of Washington or Wisconsin?
University of Washington
Going by the US News Best Global University Rankings (International Rankings):
Computer Science
University of Washington:46
University of Maryland: 28
The Cybersecurity program is quite strong at UMD. Here’s info about the Center. http://www.cyber.umd.edu/about
The new computer science center is opening in 2018, but that might be a little late for you. http://iribe.cs.umd.edu/home
I would recommend browsing the course catalog for both universities and see if that helps in any way.
@RossandRachel, I’d like your chances of getting into CSE at UW if your stats are around the top 25% of the class (that is, 3.85+ UW GPA and 32 ACT (33 M)/2100 SAT (730 M)).
Here are some resources regarding Computer Science at Washington:
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-computer
http://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-be-a-computer-science-major-at-the-University-of-Washington
http://www.computersciencedegreehub.com/50-innovative-computer-science-departments/
http://qz.com/343521/18-universities-produce-half-of-us-and-canadas-computer-science-professors/
General university information:
http://publicuniversityhonors.com/rankings-academic-departments-private-elites-vs-publics/ (US News average department ranking in undergraduate business and engineering and graduate biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, economics, education, English, history, math, physics, political science, psychology and sociology; for historical perspective, see:
https://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc1.html#TOP60)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2016/02/23/collegerank.html
That last one contributes to the following:
NTU:
http://nturanking.lis.ntu.edu.tw/Default.aspx
URAP:
http://www.urapcenter.org/2015/world.php?q=MS0yNTA=
CWUR:
http://cwur.org/2015/usa.html
USNews:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings?page=2
THE:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2016/world-ranking#!/page/1/length/25
ARWU:
http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2015.html
Good luck!
I am an International Student but my ACT score is a 33 composite with a 35 in math, 34 in reading, 33 in writing, and a 31 in science. As for my GPA… that harder to determine as we have a different grading system altogether over here… My main problem in deciding is I cannot adequately judge the level of difficulty because I do not know how to compare how I do here to how well I could possibly do in America.
@RossandRachel , your outstanding across-the-board ACT scores are a good indicator of how well you could possibly do in America.
@UWfromCA could you tell me how much better the program is at Udub? And if it is really worth the risk? Also keep in mind that I am coming from a different country and I assume it will take me some time to adjust to the curriculum over there. Thanks for your help I’m just really confused and I want to make the best decision
Both colleges are similarly ranked. UW is ranked 52 and UMD is ranked 57. That is insignificant when considering US News World Report. (Pretty much the gold standard in the US.) If you look at their computer science programs, both are ranked pretty close to each other, depending on which ranking you value. For USNWR UW is 4th and UMD is 15th.
You should go with who gives you the most value. Both are priced pretty close. UMD is around 42K per year for room, board, and tuition, while UW is 45K. Of course the Washington DC area offers a lot for government and industry internships. Many CS majors are hired in the first semester of their senior year. This is anecdotal, but my daughter’s roommate received offers both from Google and Microsoft after she completed her Junior year.
I agree with @MDdad2012. Gather as much information as you can about each school and its program and decide which one fits you and your future goals the best. Only you can make that call. Both are great universities that offer outstanding opportunities to their students. Exciting time for you!
@MDdad2012 aren’t those rankings for the graduate department though? Does it make much of a difference?