I am currently a high-school junior with highly competitive stats. I attend a top 15 public school in in the nation. But, unfortunately, I am on an H4 Visa and wouldn’t be able to qualify for many merit-scholarships. Instead, I would have to pay the international student fees. Finances are a big issue for me, as my parents are unable to contribute more than 10k per year. Currently, I am considering pursuing CS + Economics Major at the UMCP, which would be around 215k debt for a 4+1 CS BS+MS degree. Luckily, despite my “international” qualification, I received in-state tuition at the University of Delaware and am positive I can secure a full-scholarship. But the problem is that UDel holds less merit in the Computer Science field than state-flagships like UMCP, UT-Austin, UNC, and UW-Madison. So would a flagship public school be worth the extra debt for a BS + MS program, or should I attend UDel for undergrad and then, hopefully, transition into a top 15 CS school for graduate school. Thank you in advance to anyone who would be willing to provide feedback on my conundrum.
As an Undergraduate, you cannot borrow anywhere near $215,000. The most you could borrow over 4 years is $27,000.
Read Frank Bruni’s book. He talks about these choices and discusses Delaware
Go to UDel. It’s a flagship and it’s well respected It sound alike the best option for you. You can’t take on that much debt anyway.