I really want to go to UMich because I love their campus and alumni network, but I’m not sure which university I should attend.
I live in Illinois so I have in state tuition Fromm UIUC (approx $30,000) and they are also giving me the presidential scholarship and an extra $2,000 each year from my school if I attend. This is a total of $12,000 in scholarships for 4 years ($48,000).
For UMich, I have out of state tuition (approx $59,000) and I heard that they give over 60% of freshman some financial aid. They also offered me a $15,000 presidential scholarship for 4.5 years ($67,500 total). I also applied for a $20,000 out of state scholarship (renewable for 4 years) and if I get that I will most likely go to UM because the price is a big concern but I don’t want it to hinder me in my college decision.
I understand that both schools will give me the same education for differing prices but I want to be happiest at whichever school I attend.
I like UIUC’s engineering campus (small/homey) but I really like UMich’s central campus and their architecture. I also love the school spirit at UM (much less at UI for some reason) and I love everything UM has to offer, just it’s very expensive.
Does anyone know anything about the reputation of both schools in the aerospace industry (only a few rankings off with UM at the slight advantage). I don’t really want to stay in Illinois after graduation and I feel most UI grads stay in the state, not sure why. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Additional info: I’m a female in engineering, first in my class, parents are divorced (dad is a teacher and the only parent on my FAFSA but combined my parents make $100,000+), and I got a 33 on my ACT (I know it’s not the greatest but it puts me above average for UI and slightly above average for UM scholarships).
Thank you!
Both schools are well-known for good engineering programs and are excellent for aerospace engineering. There’s no significant difference in reputation there. You don’t have to stay in Illinois after graduation if you don’t want to if you go to UIUC - that’s your choice.
You mention how much money you get in scholarships. But after those scholarships are applied, what is the amount left over to pay? And how are you planning to pay it? Total cost of attendance at UIUC is around $35,000 for engineering majors, so $12,000 off would leave you (and/or your parents) left to pay around $17,000.
Michigan’s OOS cost of attendance is around $60,000; a $15,000 scholarship leaves you with $45,000 a year to pay. How would you even cover that? You can’t borrow that much without co-signing for it, which you shouldn’t do anyway. An additional $20,000 a year would decrease the price to about $25,000 a year, which is still more than UIUC but perhaps not enough to make the difference.
If you don’t get the $20K scholarship at Michigan - you should almost certainly go to UIUC. You’ll get an excellent education at a much better price.
If you do get the scholarship - well, then you have more flexibility. But it would still depend on how you and your family are going pay that additional $25K.
No losing proposition here from an academic/job opportunity stand point. Go with the lower cost option, after you’ve included all the scholarships you receive.
Both would be outstanding choices. Wait and see how the money part of the equation plays out. I would not go into debt (or take on additional debt) or ask my parents to experience any type of financial hardship to go to UM over UIUC. If the costs are basically even then go with your personal preference.
“campus appearance” and “alumni network” are overrated factors when picking a college, in my opinion. These two schools are peers when it comes to engineering in general, with UIUC being slightly better. I would pick the cheaper option unless you have wealthy parents.
^^^^The OP indicated that she liked Michigan for its campus, not simply its “appearance.” QoL issues should also be take into account when selecting a school, not just academics.