Hello, I was accepted into the Cockrell School of Engineering back in November but didn’t apply for Honors (huge mistake). I was pretty deadset on attending UT but I was just recently notified that I was accepted into the Honors engineering program at A&M. Along with being accepted into Honors I have also been offered up to 20 thousands in scholarships and financial aid from A&M. I have now started to really contemplate if I should instead go to A&M. However I do not know if the Honors program at A&M would drastically benefit me compared to a regular degree at UT. I was also wondering how much scholarship money and financial aid UT usually gives.
First money - UT Austin does not give out alot of scholarship money but the engineering dept. does have more money available than most other depts. Normally the scholarships do go to the students in honors. If you have not heard back about scholarships since your acceptance in November, congratulations BTW, I would assume that you probably will not be receiving one. Also UT is not known for being generous with FA.
As far as the degree being from UT or A&M for engineering - they are both known for being great engineering schools and you could be very successful from either. The one problem with A&M is that you are not accepted into your major until late in your freshman year. Considering you got accepted to UT engineering in Nov., that shows you are an excellent student and probably this will not be an issue for you.
If it is a decision of going into debt for UT, or not for A&M, I would choose A&M. If your parents can afford UT, than it would be a toss up. Being in honors at A&M is also a positive. The honors students get more attention from both the school and future employers. Good luck with your decision.
Not sure what engineering degree you are looking to study, but the two programs are close. UT is always ranked slightly ahead overall, but in certain programs A&M is ranked better. I don’t think you can wrong with either school, so I would take the scholarship money and go to A&M.
I agree with the other two responses. It’s 20k for all 4 years right? So it would be about a half tuition scholarship? If I was in your shoes I’d definitely chose A&M over UT unless TAMU really doesn’t appeal to you for whatever reason. TAMU and UT are very different schools after all.
It depends on the program. If the major you want is better at UT and you can afford it, go UT. Otherwise just take A&M.
Really depends on the engineering major you want to do.
So which one would be better for Chemical Engineering? Any advice on that? Trying to make the decision in the next few weeks. And if have to choose between Honors in A&M vs. regular classes in UT, does the honors program is really that much better? Thanks 
@Larysa Both would do you just as well. UT is ranked slightly ahead but overall academics are similar. I don’t think either of the honors programs are much more than just priority registration and a few special honors credits but you may want to look further into that. I would suggest visiting both universities if you haven’t already and base your opinion on which atmosphere, people, campus, etc. you like better.
Everyone has his or her own ranking of priorities when choosing schools; an inherently personal and family decision. The schools and environment are also very different, as was mentioned above. Austin, TX is a vibrant, urban city with a cultural component and job / internship opportunities that augment a UT student’s ability to take advantage of opportunities. Ultimately, I recommend to people that one’s “fit” with a place, a school, is as important as ranking of majors. Money talks however, and for many, that speaks loudest. You have good choices, congrats on doing so well that you have the opportunity to struggle in choosing between some of the world’s best engineering schools. All good.
If honors gives you priority registration at A&M, that is a big plus. Getting the classes you need with the profs you want definitely decreases the stress level. As far as jobs/internship opportunities, they are there for both schools. More of those opportunities maybe in Houston for A&M. Again, being in honors gives you a step up in that area. The environment for each of these schools are very different but both can give you an excellent education and equal opportunites.
For Chemical Engineering I stand by my earlier post. Unless you have an issue with Texas A&M and the campus (and would prefer to be in Austin) and can overlook the $20K, I’d go to A&M. From an educational and opportunity POV, both will serve you well.
The rankings of the two schools are nearly identical for engineering and in particular chemical engineering. I would think the benefit of graduating with no debt FAR outweighs any insignificant differences in what are really arbitrary rankings from 3rd parties. To me it would be a no-brainer to take the 20K and go to A&M.
I haven’t seen a ranking where engineering at A&M and UT Austin are equal though I am sure some exist. But Honors at any school does give you a leg-up when recruiters come to campus. The best (perhaps I am biased as a parent, seeking a ROI) determination is to look at the placement rates at each school, who the top employers are, and whether one list appeals to you more than other based on reputation, location, salary. Great options, indeed!
Overall COE
http://best-engineering-colleges.com/
Chemical
http://best-engineering-colleges.com/chemical-engineering
Both schools are great.
You are right, both schools are great…you have found a ranking I have never seen before…obviously, the credibility and methodologies of all should be used when basing decisions on rankings.
Actually the best thing to do is speak with hiring managers and people in the industry. That is what we have done and at least in TX we hear more about engineers coming out of A&M than UT as catching the eye of recruiters and hiring managers although UT is thought of highly as well. That is what really drove our son’s decision, the elusive power of the Aggie ring and the Aggie network. Now, our limited research found A&M to be more top of mind in the industry at least locally here in TX. YMMV I’m sure.
@TxSker respectfully, may I suggest that you start posting on an A&M board to find people who would agree with you.
@CollegeParent123 Just trying to offer some perspective. The original poster had a specific question regarding the two schools which involved a significant amount of money. Nearly all of the rankings I’ve seen including US News ranks both these programs nearly identically so unless you have money growing on trees the smart choice would be to take the scholarship and get a degree from a similar school and leave with little to no debt. Just sharing what we found in our research and I apologize if it doesn’t fit into your apparent preconceived notion about these schools. Have a good day!!
For my student choosing between A&M and UT Austin it came down to the fact that UT admits directly into the major and Texas A&M does not. Both are great schools. She just wanted to be sure she got her major of choice.
For what its worth, in my career over the years I have been in the position to hire engineers for AT&T, Compaq and HP and can say that a engineering degree from A&M and UT Austin are considered generally the same. There is a good bit of subjectivity in all the rankings you see including US News (read the methodologies and you will see that for yourself), however, there is also a good bit of subjectivity in each hiring manager over which schools they personally prefer. In deciding which school to attend you need to ask yourself where you think you personally feel more connected and then that hopefully will translate into a great education from either of two great choices.
@Larysa Kind of an old thread, but definitely go with UT for ChemE. Their US News ranking for ChemE is #3 in the nation - behind only Stanford and MIT.
best-engineering-colleges.com uses data from 2015 and they don’t even disclose their methodology ( http://best-engineering-colleges.com/methodology)
Whether you think it’s an accurate measure of how good a school is or not, at least US News keeps their methodology open to the public ( http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/engineering-schools-methodology ), so you can form your own opinion on whether or not you trust their rankings.