Acceptance from RPI, NEU Umass Lowell and Amherst
RPI - 14K schol
NEU - 16K schol
UMass L - Full ride
UMass Am - 4 K schol
BU awaiting results
Tufts awaiting results
Residency Mass
Which is better for CS .
Net price of each, and how much can you afford?
Between Amherst and Lowell for CS I would say that Amherst has the better program but a full ride shouldn’t be passed up so easily. RPI is a great school, and probably the best of the bunch in CS. (UMass Amherst probably the next best program) It depends on the money but I would also wait for Tufts, the name of that school may be worth it in the long run especially with good aid.
@BOS2015 Wow. Congrats. Fabulous offers. Do you mind sharing your stats?
No chance of aid . Only scholarships possible.
Money is not a factor it is more of better school and proximity to Mass.
Is UMass Amherst a party school? What about UMass lowell ? The graduation rates are pretty low I see @ 32%?
Don’t want to loose the kid by favoring full ride.
Tufts does not offer any scholarships so it is full tuition and haven’t heard much for CS. But I could be wrong.
Stats
SAT 2320
GPA - 4. Something not sure but definitely above 4
Class rank 6
BIO - 790
CHEM - 800
Math II 800
Lots of leadership, volunteer and sports
@BOS2015 - I wouldn’t call UMass Amherst any more of a party school than NEU or BU. As long as you don’t live in the Southwest dorm complex most students are academics first, fun later. (Since you got into the honors college they have their own dorms) Additionally, UMass may not be in the top 50 like BU but it is #76 in the county so it is a serious institution. (Lowell is #156 on that list but should be higher IMO) Lastly, UMass used to be much worse but it gets tougher to get into each year and the campus keeps improving as well. (PS only Lowell’s grad rate is in the 30’s Amherst is ~60% but hopefully will get better)
To put put this in perspective this Boston Globe article says the average stats of accepted students this year is a 3.8 WGPA and a 1264 (M+R SAT) so close to a 1900 assuming they did the same on the writing. (This SAT score is in the 90th percentile Nationally) (http://■■■■■■■.com/lbr8owr) (http://■■■■■■■.com/82cl5x2)
PS- I am a current UMass honors student so I am trying my best to not be bias. To be honest you got solid scholarships from all your schools so don’t feel pressed into UMass, all I am saying is that I wouldn’t cross it off especially for a STEM field like CS. (BTW- Only Lowell’s grad rate is in the 30’s Amherst is ~60% but hopefully will get better)
Also nice SAT! Most students in the honors dorm at UMass have a 2100+ with a good chunk above 2200 but you would be towards the top!
@BOS2015 My Daughter is in at Northeastern CCIS and UMass Amherst CS, and I would say has an outside chance at Tufts.
Putting “fit” aside, I would say that you will have the best career opportunities in CS coming out of Tufts. Very close second is RPI, then a little further down the line is NEU/UMass Amherst. I have worked in software in Boston for 20+ years and I would say that traditionally NEU grads that I have interviewed have not been that impressive, BU slightly better. Tufts grads are outstanding technically and thrive in entrepreneurial environments. RPI grads are very good technically but a little less dynamic. UML is not a great school but I have actually worked with some very sharp UML grads.
If cost is no option and you get in to Tufts, and you like the school, go there. UMass Amherst, while it has a great CS program, is still a safety school for most of these other schools. NEU’s profile is rising, as is the average student SAT, so maybe CCIS has started producing better grads. Northeastern also has the co-op program which gives students excellent work experience before they graduate. CS students may need this less, as they are in demand for summer internships as well as full time employment after graduation.
My daughter is not really considering UMass since she’s gotten in to NEU and a couple other LACs with good CS programs. But it is a well regarded program and could save me $180K (<$20k/yr) so I am pushing her to consider it 
Ya, personally I would go with Tufts, but that is only the case if you can afford to go there. (I know I can’t) lol
I personally believe NEU is only worth it if your major is something that benefits a lot for co-op. Otherwise I think you would get the same, and in some cases better, education at UMass at a lower cost. This argument is much weaker in this case since BOS’s merit aid is so significant. (I would certainly not in a million years pay 150K+ more just to go to NEU. Many students do this and then have no money for grad school and a ton of debt)
BTW- @ormdad Umass is actually ranked above NEU in CS. I would be very scared to incur 180K in debt to go to a possibly lower quality CS program. This being said, I am not a professional programmer like you so what do I know. 
PPS- Again, talking to BOS, I hope you get a lot of scholarships at Tufts since personally it is the only school in this bunch that I can be sure is worth the $$$ over Amherst. RPI is also tempting but I can’t be sure it would be worth it with my limited knowledge on the school.
FYI @Greenman57 and @BOS2015 the USNWR rankings (where Tufts is in the 70s btw) is entirely focused on graduate school, and emphasizes research, so it’s not surprising that NEU would be quite low. It is a little strange that Tufts is that low, but it too focuses on teaching over research production.
As I understand, OP is a parent, and cost is not an issue. If you want the best bang for the buck, without question, go to UMass Amherst.
But I would just caution that often “best for CS” is not the question you should be asking. These are all pretty different schools - UMA huge state flagship, UML large state “wannabe”, RPI is a somewhat one-dimensional tech school, NEU has the co-op, and Tufts is a fantastic all-around school that would provide a great education in any major if the student decides CS is not for them. I understand that some of these are safeties but if the student wants to go to Tufts, RPI is a completely different school as is UML. OP’s kid should really be touring the schools to get an idea of where they’d fit in well.
FYI2 I was just told on Saturday by a UML professor that 50% (or maybe 20%) of CS majors are community college transfers. I think that’s great and a really savvy way to pay for college, but the academic quality of the students there are going to be on a completely different level than say NEU or Tufts.
They’ll be on a completely different level from Tufts and RPI.
And one of those 2 would be my choice if money truly isn’t an issue. They are 2 very different schools, though.
Tufts > Northeastern >>BU>>>>UMass AM>>>RPI>>>>>>>UMass L
As far as which to attend, you’ll probably want to see the total cost of attendance of each option before making the decision.
Exclude BU and UML and pick based off fit from there IMO. As others have said, they are all completely different schools.
Great feedback! Thanks. @Greenman57! S had not given CS as major earlier and now they say it is not accepting CS as major for first Sem. What are the chances that it may open up! He is really keen on UMA as CS is better ranked than NEU and also wants to save his parents 160K. Also he was hoping to do the grad in three years with AP credits. is that possible ? What should he do to get into CS in first sem any ponters
Are you ate UMA as honors student?
CS unavailability issue is with UMA. Would speaking with Admissions help?
NEU he had already given CS as ,major.
BU no schol
Tufts still waiting but S not keen on spending a ton.
For the most part, the USNWR ranking reflects the size of a school’s Phd program at the time the survey respondent was earning his/her Phd (i.e. about 20 years ago) It can be misleading even for Phd programs (given the rate at which the field changes) and has very little to do with the quality of the undergrad program. You really have to dig in and look at the students, course offerings, professors and research projects to get a current view of both the undergrad and grad programs.
Tufts’ Phd program was tiny 20 years ago, and is the smallest of any of the schools even now.
UMass Amherst has the strongest Phd program of all the schools considered, particularly in AI where it has been considered one of the top programs in the country for decades. It is probably stronger than all but Tufts at the undergrad level. (UMass Amherst also offers a COOP program). Tufts has built out it’s Phd program in the last decade, while still keeping a focus on undergrad teaching, but it still remains small
@BOS2015 you can definitely apply and get in to the CS major at UMass Amherst, it happens regularly and is not that difficult. You could give admissions a call to discuss the procedure.
It’s not really like you’d be saving $160K by going to UMass over Tufts; they are not really comparable. UMA is a fine education, but Tufts is better, and a Tufts degree will really open doors after graduation. Is it worth an extra $160K? That is the question. (Plus he hasn’t gotten in yet )
The student really needs to go to visit these schools, they are all pretty different in terms of location and feel.
Are you saying UMass is not accepting your S into its School of Computer Science?
If that is the case, will he still be able to enroll in CS courses (if not at UMass then at one of the other 4 consortium colleges)?
You better get answers straight from UMass. Contact both the admissions office and the CS department for clarifications and advice. If he is shut out of basic CS courses for a year, that may make it all the harder to graduate in three years (or possibly even in 4). Maybe a CS minor would be feasible?
You did not indicate your net costs. I imagine RPI and NEU are more than twice as expensive as UMA, even after the scholarships. So it might be worthwhile to be persistent about getting into the program you want at UMass. Make sure a CS advisor or department chair is aware of your son’s excellent qualifications.
Smaller private schools can more flexible in accommodating student needs. So with luck, if UMass does not bend, you’ll have an offer from Tufts.