<p>You might have an outside shot at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities which has a very strong engineering school, and an affordable COA for OOS students of just under $29K. It’s easier to get into than UIUC. Your ACT score would be a little below the average for admitted students in engineering, but probably pretty close to the average for enrolled freshmen in engineering. I’m just not sure how they’d factor in your GPA, which unweighted looks on the low side, though the weighted GPA and all those AP classes might possibly be enough to push you over the top. I’d say it may be a bit of a reach, but potentially worth a shot as Minnesota is a stronger engineering school than your in-state non-flagships.</p>
<p>You have a better chance at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, which also has an accredited electrical engineering program, not as strong as Minnesota-Twin cities in engineering but still quite good. Total COA for OOS students at UMD is right around $25K, comparable to in-state COA at many public universities (including, e.g., NIU). Great hockey school. Division II football powerhouse, too. </p>
<p>Minnesota State-Mankato and St. Cloud State (MN) have a similar OOS COA and ABET-accredited electrical engineering programs, but of the three I’d say Minnesota-Duluth is a slightly stronger school (and in my opinion a more interesting location).</p>
<p>Iowa State (in Ames, IA, not the University of Iowa in Iowa City which is not quite as strong in engineering, and pricier) is another good value, a quite good engineering school with relatively low OOS COA right around $30K. Iowa State’s overall acceptance rate is about 80% and your ACT score would put you in their top quartile, though stats may be somewhat higher for engineering.</p>
<p>Not quite as strong in engineering but still pretty decent is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with OOS COA around $31K or $32K—but they have an on-line OOS Scholarship Calculator that seems to suggest your ACT score would buy you a merit scholarship in the $3K to $5K range, bringing total COA down below $30K. (I ran it with your ACT score and made-up class rank numbers; run it yourself and see what it says).</p>
<p>You might also consider some private universities. For example, Bradley University in Peoria, IL has a pretty good engineering program. As a private school they charge higher tuition ($26,400, bringing total COA up into the $37K-$38K range) but they also give a fair amount of financial aid, both need-based aid and merit aid. It might be worth it to see what kind of FA package they offer you; it might be surprisingly competitive with in-state publics and the lower-cost OOS publics. Your ACT score is in their top quartile, which might make you eligible for merit aid.</p>