My s got accepted in UMich COE and UIUC Comp Eng. Doing some research and struggling on the choice. We’re based in IL so would be in-state vs OOS for UMich. Some thoughts going on in my head:
UMich
Ann Arbor better town around UMich
More undergraduate research opportunities (it seems)
Strong Eng and non-Eng program although not sure whether this will matter longer term
Stronger alum network
UIUC
120K cheaper than UMich since we’re in-state
Strong Eng Program / stronger STEM all around
More opportunities to study abroad for engineering students
In the middle of nowhere
Questions for you guys
Is $120K difference worth it for undergrad? We saved for my s and can pay for it but it is substantial.
Looks like there are more opportunities or more emphasis for study abroad in UIUC??
Looks like there are more research opportunities for undergrad students in UMich
Lastly, my s prefers to go out of state. Initially wanted to go to MIT, Stanford and UCBerkeley but got rejected (big ouch). Appreciate your thoughts.
Congratulations to your son. He has a couple fantastic choices there.
Personally I don’t think the difference is worth $120K. Tell DS that if he picks the less expensive college, you’ll save that money for his grad school. There are incredible opportunities available at UIUC too. Daughter of a friend goes there, and she spent a summer interning at Microsoft for a crazy amount of money, then spent a semester abroad.
Having said that, can he visit both schools again before making a final decision? Often that brings a sense of closure and the student can move on with enthusiasm for his final choice.
I’m with Groundwork2022 on this. The way I see it is that $120k would pay for a bang-up study abroad, housing and meals during an unpaid summer research experience, and a nice new car after graduation, with enough change left over to cover moving costs and apartment deposit when starting the first job. $120k could also cover an unplanned 5th year of college, and a good chunk of grad school expenses.
If your son knows that the money is there, and that U Mich is technically affordable, and you have always maintained that he could study wherever he chose that was in your budget, then yes it is OK for you to let him have this slightly luxurious thing. You are fortunate to be able to give him that dream.
@Groundwork2022 and @happymomof1 - thanks for the replies. Right or wrong, we told him to focus on his studies and not to worry about the financial side when we went into this process and hoped for more acceptances. Based on where we are at and the schools seemingly so closely ranked, it has taken a different direction/requires a bit of a different way of looking at things. Now it feels like it is all about the nuances between the programs like study abroad and research. Their sites feel like marketing material thus was curious on whether my impressions were directionally correct. That said, your comments on other opportunities with the cost difference are appreciated/reinforce my thinking.
Do appreciate your feedback being emotionally removed from it :). Groundwork2022 thanks for sharing about your friend’s daughter’s internship. Great idea too on visiting the schools again.
If he is 100% set on engineering, then probably UIUC (UMich and UIUC are perfect peers in engineering, and UIUC would be $120,000 cheaper). This does not consider any serious fit issues.
I would not pay $120K more for Michigan engineering over UIUC.
(Plus Michigan’s engineering campus is separated from the rest of campus and he’d have to be going back and forth by bus for 3 semester (huge negative for my DD)).
“Is $120K difference worth it for undergrad? We saved for my s and can pay for it but it is substantial.”
UIUC is the MIT of the Midwest…and that is no exaggeration. There is no way any university, Michigan included, comes close to being $120k better than UIUC. Stay instate, save that money for a downpayment on your son’s first house… or for graduate school…or invest it soundly for his retirement.
You wouldn’t be paying $120K for a better educational experience (I really doubt there are less STEM research opportunities at UIUC than UMich) or better tech/engineering employment opportunities. They are both huge state schools. And yes, UIUC has a lot more study-abroad opportunities for engineers, and some of them actually are cheaper than the in-state cost. You would be paying that extra money just so he can feel better about himself and a better college town.
However, $120K is a LOT. Left to grow in the stock market, and in 40 years, that’s $1M for retirement.
Even if he spends it, that could mean some combination of a free master’s (from a more prestigious school if he likes) or vacations all over the world. Heck, it could mean multiple luxurious vacations all over the world every time he is on break. Even if every trip costs $5K (and that’s a good amount to spend on a vacation), that’s 24 trips. Is Ann Arbor really worth giving that up for?
I think the “Initially wanted to go to MIT, Stanford and UCBerkeley but got rejected” comment is telling. Paying for choice 1, 2, or 3 maybe. But $120,000 for Michigan (his 4th choice at best) over Illinois does not seem worth it, especially in Engineering. I would save the money, but also appreciate your prior conversation about letting you worry about the money. I guess I’d let him make the decision and try not to guilt him into it.
I would let him choose where to spend the money. Because UIUC gives the in-state discount, if he chooses UIUC, he can go to a bunch for awesome places on vacation, get a master’s for free if he wants and still have some left over to start his nest egg. If he chooses UMich (essentially paying double for a big state school as well), he wouldn’t get any of that.
^^ Okay, I started typing a response then ran some errands and a lot of people posted in the meantime. I’ll still post my thoughts, but agree with the general consensus.
We were sort of in your situation 4 years ago, but our son was interested in business. He chose U of I.
Our son was admitted to Michigan and UIUC as an Illinois resident. Like you, we would be full-pay at Michigan. Although we could afford it without a loan, the difference in cost of attendance in our opinion was not worth it. The decision was ultimately our son’s, but we did discuss at length the pros and cons as a family. It was a great opportunity to discuss values and expectations in a very adult manner.
I’ll share a couple of our discussion points:
expectations.
People have very different ideas about college and post-graduation life. I think it would be a good idea to talk with your son as to why he “prefers to go out of state”. What is he wishing for in his undergraduate experience? Does he envision a graduate degree in the future? I agree with visiting the schools again.
talk specific differences between the schools.
Four years ago we looked at our son’s AP credit. This was an important step and I recommend you research the specific course credits for your son. At Michigan we discovered our son would have to start paying the higher division tuition due to these incoming credits. FYI, higher division cost kicks in at the 55th credit. In comparison at Illinois, tuition was locked in for all 4 years.
My son likes sports. Michigan has a wonderful sports spirit and it probably helps with their alumni base and campus vibe. As you know Illinois’ sports are less than exciting. As a high school senior he was concerned about life on a campus in central Illinois.
Lastly, I happened to ask our son over Spring Break if he has any regrets about his decision between UIUC and Michigan. He replied “none” with a laugh. He realized that we, his parents, agonized more over the decision than he did.