Computer science major; Temple or Drexel or other?

[ssolomon01]

I am currently in Montgomery Community College studying computer science. Everything is going good but I have been thinking about which school I want to transfer to. I have considered Temple and Drexel.

[hesdjjim]

Have you also looked at Penn State and UPenn? I'd strongly recommend applying to those as well. Only choose Temple or Drexel if they offer you scholarships that bring the cost down to the level of a comparable public school's in-state tuition.

[ssolomon01]

I am looking into any schools that have a good Computer Science major. My FAFSA EFC was 00000 so i don't know how it will work with student aid at some of these schools. Would I have to pay out of pocket or would grants, and loans cover tuition 100%?

[hesdjjim]

With an EFC of 0, you are pretty much guaranteed the Pell Grant. Other forms of financial aid may be offered through the state (but that usually is an amount that is capped at a certain level -- most likely to cover up to in-state tuition at a public college), and through the college (at the college's discretion). This is why I strongly recommend you apply to Penn State and UPenn in addition to Drexel and Temple, then (assuming scholarships at those schools are adequate to make them affordable) go to whichever school you think you would have the most fun at.

[intheair8]

Come to temple! Us transfers need to stick together bahaha

[Wordworker]

Penn is a private school, one of the most selective and most expensive in the country. Probably not a good match.

Montco has articulation (seamless transfer) agreements with other schools. Even if you choose another school that isn't on the list, you can talk to an advisor there to help with planning.

[invader71]

^ ditto that. Penn is extremely selective especially for transfers so it is a big reach for everyone although if accepted you will receive the financial aid needed to attend. I would definitely not recommend Penn State as an oos transfer because you will get close to zero aid from them and oos cost of attendance is around 40 grand. Drexel is fairly expensive as well but they do give scholarships so check if they are available for transfers. I think Temple will be your best bet since it is probably the easiest to gain admission to on your list and has the cheapest tuition even for oos students. you should check about scholarships but I dont think they will meet full need.

[SRyJohn]

With an EFC of 0, you can graduate from UPenn debt free. It's very unlikely, though, that you'll gain acceptance. With scant merit aid available for transfers, it's incredibly unlikely that you could afford Drexel.

Temple and Penn State are your two likely candidates, of the four. Do you have friends or family near either with whom you could reside? Temple is incredibly cheap but even in-state, if you need room and board it'll be tight. Penn State even more so. But if MontCC has transfer scholarship programs and you can snatch up a few external scholarships, either of those could be affordable.

[Wordworker]

North Wales is in PA, in Montgomery County (as is Montgomery County Community College). So continuing to commute is likely to be the cheapest option, and this student will get in-state tuition at PA public schools.

Drexel is horribly expensive but has the co-op program that gives you two paid placements before graduation.

If Penn State main campus is too expensive, some of the branches have four-year degrees. I don't know how much computer science they offer, though.

West Chester is in commuting distance and seems to offer a lot. Again, I don't know about the specifics of computer science.

You absolutely should investigate the articulation agreements to make sure that all of your classes will transfer!