UT Dallas Computer Science

I have been offered admission to the UT Dallas CS program with AES Distinction Scholarship. This brings down the cost to 26000 dollars! I have noticed that the rankings of UT Dallas are not very flattering . I want to know is it worth to spend this much on UTD?

@tiwari124 I don’t know about the rankings and their value, but AES distinction gives you free tuition and $1000 cash per semester. If you live in the dorms, your cost is room, meals and books, something like $10,000 per year + any personal expenses on top of that. How did you come up with that $26,000 figure?

Are you OOS? What are the other choices?

@MadMoose Yes you were right . I was confused. The COA is 13k
@uthdad I am international .
NYU with 20k scholarship
Stevens with 20k scholarship
UC Davis no scholarship
Boston University with no scholarship

Is UT Dallas a good university?

@tiwari124 Computer Science is one of the strong departments at UTD and is well connected with the local businesses. The job market in North Texas is good and there are plenty of opportunities for internships. UTD campus has several new buildings, for example the dorms are brand new. Due to the free tuition scholarships, UTD is a really good deal for undergraduate studies for many. If you are from India, the Indian community in North Texas is really strong and you should find it very easy to fit in at UTD. I don’t say that any of the other schools would be a bad choice, I am not familiar enough with them, but all things considered, I think UTD is a good choice.

@tiwari124 agree with MadMoose. We are from Texas and my child (2017) is planning to go to UTD Computer Science if he don’t get admission to his first choice school, UT Austin.

I also agree with MadMoose. My DD will be attending UTD next year for CS and she got accepted to several higher ranked programs including UT. UTD has a good program in a very dynamic city. There is a lot of opportunity for internships and research. It definitely is the school with the best value for you.

@GTAustin Congratulations. Do you mind sharing why your DD chose UTD over UT Computer Science? Is it merit scholarship?

There are actually many reasons. To be honest, the only way my DD would have gone to UT is if she got into Turings honors which she did not. The reasons she is going to UTD are large merit award, acceptance to University honors and CS honors, safer campus, less party environment, smaller campus, flexibility in getting minors, and I think an undergraduate education which will be as good as UT. The only thing that is lacking is that prestige that goes with the 6th in the nation ranking but that is for graduate level. As I told my DD, if you want to leave Texas go to UT if you want to stay in Texas UTD will give you everything and it will be much less of a hassle.

Let me also add, there is a Torchy’s Tacos just outside the entrance, an Alamo Drafthouse within 5 min drive, right next to a Half Price Book Store and they are building a drag across the street. That is almost everything an Austinite needs. We are only missing Barton Springs which she does not swim at during the winter and she can come back for ACL.

Thanks again. I commend your DD for making the right decision (value vs prestige). Ofcouse she can always come back for ACL and SXSW-). Recently one of friends (recruits UTD kids for State Farm, Richardson office) spoke highly about UTD UGs. We are also from Austin and my DS17 is planning to visit UTD before summer.

I hope he likes it. It is a different campus, no red brick and very modern looking. That look appealed to my DD. The majority of the facilities are brand new. There are plugs for computers and they use modern technology to teach. We went to an out of state campus that only had blackboards and the old fashion school desks. It is also one of the most diverse campuses around. That was a put off for some of my DD friends but I think it is good to be exposed and learn about other cultures and my DD didn’t even really notice.
The other reason UTD beat out some of the other schools besides UT was the abundant opportunity for internships both in the Dallas/Ft Worth area as well as Austin. I know several kids that got internships here in Austin after their first year for high tech. They did have to have a very high GPA though to get them.
Well, we are just crossing our fingers and hoping it is the right decision!

for what it’s worth: UT Dallas Ranks #21 on LinkedIn’s “Best Universities for Software Developers” http://cs.utdallas.edu/utdlinkedinrankings/

Thank you @getoveritnow for posting that. Personally I think that is the most important statistic around - can you find a job in your field after you graduate and that is what that ranking does.