I am a prospective Computer Science undergraduate from India .
I have been accepted into UWisc and Purdue as of now
Which one should I go to ?
Both are awesome schools. Do they cost the same?
If it matters to you (and it might not), you might check to see if one school has a lot more students from your country than the other one. But, I imagine that both have a good number.
I’m thinking that UWisc, being in Madison, might be the better choice. What’s the int’l airport situation near West LaFayette? Travel to and from school from your country would be easier at UWisc, I would guess.
^^^ if cost is the same I agree that travel to and from India is the other major consideration. Madison will provide a more urban experience but weather is also a bit colder with more snow. Not a huge difference though.
UW-Madison has a slight edge as an overall university but Purdue would have the edge for CS.
Have you been directly admitted into CS for both universities? Take a look a curriculum requirements and whether you will need to qualify with a minimum GPA after your first year.
Those two cost roughly the same, unless one of them has given you a scholarship, which is unlikely if you are an international student. If that is the case, Wisconsin-Madison over Purdue-West Lafayette. Better university overall, better CS department, nicer campus and nicer college town.
If cost for you roughly the same, then Wisconsin.
@Alexandre - please show me where you found the data supporting the CS department at UW-Madison is better than at Purdue. Everything I am searching shows Purdue higher ranked for CS. Not doubting you but it’s not what I am finding.
US News ranks Wisconsin #11 and Purdue #20.
National Research Council S-Rank for Wisconsin is 10-48 while Purdue’s is 16-56 and Wisconsin’s R-Rank is 10-22 while Purdue’s is 18-42.
Granted, those aren’t the only ranking, nor are they glaringly in favor of Wisconsin, but generally speaking, I would say that Wisconsin has the edge in CS, albeit by a tiny margin.
Global University rankings has purdue 51 and UW-Madison #56 for undergrad CS http://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/computer-science
Business insider as purdue 21 and UW 27 http://www.businessinsider.com/best-computer-science-engineering-schools-in-america-2015-7 for computer and engineering schools
Payscale Purdue 75 and UW 86 http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/best-schools-by-majors/computer-science?page=13
singermom, those rankings work too I suppose, although I find the two that I provided more consistent. Either way, the gap between the two is negligible, even if you were to factor in your rankings. In all other ways, I give Wisconsin the edge over Purdue.
Madison is a great place to spend 4 years.
If not directly admitted to the CS major, changing into the CS major at Purdue requires a 2.75 GPA in major prerequisites and a 2.50 GPA overall: https://www.cs.purdue.edu/undergraduate/codo.html
Wisconsin just requires earning a C or higher grade in a CS course to enter the CS major: https://www.cs.wisc.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/cs-major-requirements
My Wisconsin acceptance letter just mentions that I have been accepted into the Colleges of letters and Sciences
How do I know if I have been admitted to the major of my choice ?
Look up CS department in each university to check their admission requirements. For example, my S at UMN-TC must complete some required coursework in CS (about 5 classes) and maintain a 3.2 GPA in that coursework. He has access to the preliminary classes but not officially in the major until achieving that requirement.
Thanks @Alexandre - can you give me the link. My younger S will also likely study CS and with OOS going up at UMN-TC I need to look at some other options.
Thanks a lot everyone
Does anyone knows an alumnus from either Universities ?
Any opinions from them would be great
We live in Indiana, so know many kids who attend Purdue, and my own son attends Wisconsin. Purdue is an excellent engineering school, in a perfectly fine location. It is well-known as a top engineering program, though I wouldn’t encourage students to go there for the liberal arts or business (Indiana University, our other state flagship, has the stronger business program).
Wisconsin is an excellent overall university in one of the great college towns (albeit cold cold cold in winter) in the US. If academics and price are more or less in the same range, UW is an amazing place to be, the campus is set between two lakes, there is the bucolic “lakeshore” part of campus, and the more bustling, urban “southeast” part of campus. State Street has great little shops and independent, ethnic and other restaurants, Madison itself is a “foodie” capital, with a great farmer’s market, and the fact that Madison is the state capital means that there is a lot happening in the city. President Obama has been in Madison twice since my son started at UW. In terms of student life, there is “greek life” but it is less than 10% of the students, so is not an overwhelming presence on campus. Sports are huge – from football games at Randall Stadium, to basketball and hockey at the Kohn Center.
Academically and professionally, you can’t go wrong with either school. I would spend some time on the websites for each school looking at info about student life etc. Congrats on your acceptances!
You probably are not admitted to your major if it is not mentioned. However, as noted above, Wisconsin’s CS major is essentially open, since you just need to get a C or higher grade in a CS course to enter the major (C is generally considered the lowest passing grade that indicates that the student can continue to more advanced courses).
@ucbalumnus
Thanks
I just hope I get my first choice major
@Midwestmomofboys
The thing about Purdue is that CS comes under the college of science and not under the college of engineering
And I know Purdue is well ranked in engineering not so sure about Sciences
Well it was great to read such a detailed and picturesque description of Madison and that your sons are doing well there
Thanks a lot for your detailed post 
I believe the Computer Science Department at UWM is in the College of Letters and Science not in the Engineering College. Purdue has a major called Computer Engineering dealing with more with hardware design within their Engineering College and their Computer Science Program is under their College of Science.