University of Michigan vs Rutgers

Hey everyone, I’m a long-time lurker, and this is my first post here to essentially get some opinions on which college I should commit to in the upcoming school year.

I’m a high school senior from New Jersey, and out of the many colleges I applied to, I was accepted to UofM and Rutgers (Honors College). This is a pretty tough decision for me, as I like the idea of being so close to home (I live 10 minutes from New Brunswick), and Rutgers Honors College does seem pretty enticing. However, UofM has an extremely well accredited engineering program, and that is something that is important to me.

I’ve done the cost breakdown, and they are both comparable. Rutgers is estimated to cost me $9,326 with the aid they’ve given me, and Michigan is estimated to be $11,423. Even though they are extremely close, the difference of $2,000 is honestly fairly significant to me, with my parents already in debt for two of my siblings’ tuitions.

If any of you can offer any insight into the Universities, or important things to think about when making this decision, it would be greatly appreciated.