Value of Carnegie Mellon vs Purdue vs OSU for Electrical & Computer Engineering

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey all,</p>

<p>It is coming close to decision time, and I am trying to pick between The Ohio State University, Purdue University, and Carnegie Mellon University, and I am thinking about majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering.</p>

<p>OSU and Purdue have given me scholarships, and I would be paying about $13,000/year at OSU and $25,000/year at Purdue.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon has not given me a scholarship, and I am eligible for very little in terms of need-based financial aid. I would very likely be paying the full price for Carnegie, which is around $62,000/year. Also, I have received admission to Carnegie, but not to its Electrical and Computer Engineering program. I would have to apply as an internal transfer into that program at the end of freshman year. I have heard both from people on College Confidential and from the admissions department at CMU that everyone from the last couple years who tried the internal transfer got into the ECE major without any issues, but again this is not a 100% guarantee.</p>

<p>I know that the average starting salary for an ECE major out of Carnegie is around $20,000 higher than the same degree from either OSU or Purdue, but is that enough to justify the higher cost of Carnegie Mellon over four years? Advice from any students at the three schools or anyone else who could shed light on the quality of the ECE program at any of the three universities and career prospects at the end of four years would be really appreciated.</p>

<p>I personally like Carnegie Mellon the best because it has arguably one of the top 3 Electrical and Computer Engineering programs in the country, its student body is highly intellectual, and I believe I can put together a great network there. However, I think the last would be true of both OSU and Purdue as well. I have visited all three universities, and I don't think I would be unhappy at any of them, but attending Carnegie excites me the most. However, I really do want to get the best value for my tuition dollars, especially with the huge difference between the tuition at CMU vs OSU and Purdue.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>OSU is a great school. At $13K a year it’s a steal. Go there. You are so lucky to be in that position. Have you been accepted to their honors college? While there, go above and beyond, and you will be set to have a great future.</p>

3

<p>I have been accepted to their Honors college. Do you think that would improve the Electrical and Computer Engineering program at all? What are their Honors courses like? How is the undergraduate research program for engineering at OSU?</p>