@ucbalumnus: That’s because there is no threshold GPA for UE’s. The threshold would depend on how many UE majors apply to an engineering major, what their GPA is, and how many slots are allotted for UE’s. Two of those are unknown for every cohort.
But evidently UIUC allots enough where almost all UE’s (and pretty much all of the strong UE students) get their first-choice major.
They could at least publish past thresholds. As it is now, people like the OP have no real idea whether the risk of not getting into the major is high or low.
@bogeyorpar I got them to let me sign an affidavit by talking with an admissions counselor about my issue. At first she wasn’t very helpful when I visited in person but a few days later she actually emailed me and connected me with someone (can’t remember who but probably a head of admissions or something) who, after stating my case, sent me the form to sign and send back.
BTW, if you’re going to get an MBA, one way to look at it is that you can go to UIUC and get a top tier MBA for close to the same cost as just undergrad at UMich.
Engineering at UM is on a separate campus well of the main campus/town center. Many consider that undesirable.
@barrons Not really. Engineering students would be taking classes in both campuses and they are only a few minutes bus ride away. There are several blue bus routes running around campus all the time. If you are talking about the dorm in North Campus, that is another story. My D lives in main campus all 4 years and she is a senior in CoE.
These are peer schools, especially for engineering. Hard to justify paying double for Michigan unless you come from a wealthy family and money doesn’t matter.
sm2000, if your parents will struggle to pay for Michigan, and you are 100% committed to Engineering (both academically and professionally), UIUC is the obvious choice. If your parents can afford Michigan without hardship, and you are not entirely committed to engineering (both academically and professionally), then Michigan is the obvious choice.
@sm2000 @PurpleTitan @billcsho Kinda let on this thread and tumble upon accidentally. However I would like to share our UIUC experience for my elder son last year.
First of all, for eng college if you declare any eng major as first choice then few other choices are mutually exclusive (E.g if you pick CS as first choice, you can’t pick CE as second choice and vice a versa).
2nd, if you denied in first choice, e.g. CS, if you don’t have 2nd choice like Electrical or other low tier eng., they may put you in PREP (PRe Engineering Program, it is a filter tunnel to engineering college that they started last year only), this is not same as Undeclared eng.
3rd, only way you can apply to undeclared eng is by selecting that first and only choice.
My son ended up with PREP (he fall short for CS) and he had just finished ICT transfer process to CS. However his friend who was in undeclared eng, got into CS acceptance last month.
I even have hard time to understand why UIUC has both, Undeclared eng and PREP.
@PPofEngrDr, Undeclared Engineering was started before PREP. The engineering departments at UIUC specifically leave slots open for UE kids. That may be the only difference.
Also, applicants apply directly to UE while admits are redirected to PREP if they don’t get in to the major of their choice.
@PurpleTitan and now with PREP it is same, engineering departments at UIUC have reserved slots for them, but somehow UE students get preference over PREP. Students in both programs have to take appropriate eng major choice classes in first year, however for PREP they have stringent first year GPA requirement while for UE seems doesn’t exist. We found that not just strange based on our first year experience but seems not good for students. A UE student with <3.75 GPA in freshman year can get into CS but a PREP student with above >3.75 GPA in freshman year may be left out because PREP also requires departmental review.
@PPofEngrDr, yes UE majors get preferential treatment. They applied to and already got in to an engineering major that promised them preferential treatment. UIUC probably started it to attract top HS kids who were undecided on their engineering major.
PREP students have to transfer in to engineering. They were usually denied to their first choice engineering major.
@PurpleTitan what I am trying to point out is that UIUC has this multiple programs that is not being thoroughly discussed nor educated to students and their families. Main reason is admission process itself, it distributes students upfront between UE and PREP even before applicants can foresee its full implications. Well a UE is not a truly UE as UE student has to pick a subject of their interest in order to get out of UE (one can’t pick Mech class and get a transfer into CS and vice a versa). Problem is that lots of border line kids ends us in PREP instead of UE because of admission process. To put in perspective, a student from my son high school pick UE (that student has far less high school credential in all aspects and no one has any hook) and my son ended up in PREP because he picked CS first at this choice and had no interest to go to other eng disciplines, He couldn’t even pick CE as 2nd choice because of mutual exclusive choices. Now that other student in UE is able to get into CS during 2nd semester with <3.75 GPA in first semester and my son has to work hard both semesters to get >3.75 GPA in order to get into CS, fortunately he has proven himself so far and is far ahead from 3.75 GPA requirement. Point is that UE and PREP should be combined as one program as it favors UE over PREP for less credential students and combined program should provide a level playing field for everyone.
Not a single advisor (in our case) even mentioned UE and if they did it was just high level one liner statement. Even we have heard cases for PREP students, that advisor didn’t allow the classes students are needed in order to transfer into that major, e.g. if you don’t get ME class how can you transfer into Mechanical eng. after 1st year?
Even we have experienced, on multiple occasions, multiple advisors, my son was discouraged to get into PREP. That really raised the question for us what is the role of advisor really, to discourage w/o proper guidance?
UIUC with such a great history, making this kinds of admission flubs is beyond understanding.
I hope this year they have better plans for PREP students then what they have last year.
Based on our experience I would definitely recommend students to take UE over PREP as UE makes transfer much easier and earlier.
@PPofEngrDr, my understanding is that no one applied to PREP. They get redirected to PREP.
And yes, it’s bureaucratic, but it does seem that UE offers advantages. So someone interested in CS could put UE or CS+X as a second choice.
@PurpleTitan that knowledge/guidance is not conveyed in any shape or form from anyone, even after initial EA Deferred. Even at that time no one from admission office has educated us about UE and other options, yes we had contacted them by phone and email. even responded on those admission blogs, and then fast forward RD came with PREP.
@PPofEngrDr, ah. Yeah, it’s a bureaucratic public.
You may have had to search online yourself (on Reddit or CC). I hadn’t even ever heard of PREP until about a month ago.