So with CSMs scholarship the costs are similar, Uminn has offered kid nothing. Uminn is further away so will cost for flights, CSM is a 7 hr drive. Now I get the size issue, town size issue, and gender issue, but just for academics and industry exposure, how might they compare (outside of obvious industry variables of mines vs uminn).
Ranking Per US News: U of MN’s undergraduate chem. E. program is #3, behind MIT and Cal Berkeley. CSM’s chem E. program is not ranked. Ranking for undergraduate engineering in general is U of MN in the top 25, CSM in the top 50.
One statistic I found interesting is that only 38% of students at CSM graduate within four years, and 70% within six. That tells me that CSM is a 5 year program for the majority of students. Not sure what College of Science and Engineering has for it’s graduation rate but the U of MN in general is 54% within four years (75% within six). Maybe I’m wrong but I tend to think that the CSE kids are probably among the 54%? At any rate, the U has a 4-year guarantee. The extra year of tuition at CSM can more than make up for the savings on airfare, etc. 
The 4 yr guarantee is a real bonus, the fact is though, that it is the internships that affect the graduation of any engineers but don’t add to the cost of tuition per se, I think the kids like DS who go in well prepared will have a decent chance of 4 yr or even less graduation. CSM is known to be very rigorous and maybe has more minimum credits, both schools will give kid credits for his HLs and AP’s of relevance. Uminn is pretty specific that the IBD may account for a year of credit so his degree could be even shorter but these generalisations don’t often translate when it comes to the engineering courses. Where do kids live during internships, and how do they pay for that?
Ok so wait . . . graduation at CSM is extended one year due to being away for a semester or two on internship? When I look at top ranked engineering-heavy private schools such as MIT, CalTech, CMU, or Harvey Mud, or at a selective dedicated private engineering college like, say, Rose-Hulman, I notice that the graduation rate is overwhelming within four years. Are those kids not doing internships or are they doing them during the summer months only? And then if they are able to graduate in four years, aren’t they advantaged by an extra year of starting salary over those who take the extra year?
I guess if it were my kid, and I knew that selective schools in chemical engineering got their students out in four years, I’d encourage my kid to go to a school that offers the same timing, even if he/she personally had enough credits coming in to allow for on-time or early graduation (I’d even encourage him/her to spend the extra semester or year taking more upper division or more specialized math/chemistry or even graduate courses). It seems that administrations which encourage on-time graduation are more organized, less bureaucratic, and more willing to work with the student to make the college years as productive as possible. Not sure if either U of MN or CSM qualifies on this front but the four year guarantee would be a step in the right direction. U of MN graduates in chemical engineering are on the same job market as students from those private schools I listed above so it would be very strange if they had a different graduation or internship schedule from the other comparable programs.
I think that for sure these kids at the tippy top schools are not doing internships outside of summer vacation, and this is overwhelmingly my preference. I dislike how engineering is being packaged into a kind of apprenticeship model and remain somewhat baffled by the process, however in this instance I doubt there is significant difference between CSE at Uminn and CSM. The 4 yr guarantee and the free over 13 credits is a great attraction as a parent for sure but DS should have no struggle with the timeline either way.
@alfonsia, we are pretty much going through the same scenario over here (not for engineering, though) so I totally understand your thinking on this one. There are many aspects to a decision, and talented kids who choose a program thoughtfully and really see themselves succeeding in it will probably do quite well. Good luck to your son!
Can anyone tell me how the kids that come in with the sort of credit Uminn calls a year (IB diploma, HLs in chem, physics, BC calc, HL eng HL history, AP bio, handful of other APs. ) proceed with their tech GPA reqs for entry into chem eng? Kids says assuming his test scores are good, most of the first year reqs will be fulfilled?