If you want to be closer to home, why schools like UMD and TAMU where you’re not going to get into - vs. an Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Colorado State, etc.
I wouldn’t say there are “better” schools but there are harder admits - i.e. CSUs. A kid who goes to San Bernardino might be a stud, or in a small section, and has access to resources.
A friend’s kid went to Penn State (high ranked in Cyber) and you think it’s a burgeoning field and he couldn’t find a job for a year - and according to the dad, he wasn’t alone.
No where - no matter the rank - is an assurance and going to a less selective doesn’t mean you’ll fail.
You have a list of great schools - but if distance to home is a concern, then find schools closer to home.
btw - you have no cost constraints but just for fun, at U of Alabama, you’d be under $20K a year all in - given automerit. Your 1420+ (in your case 1500 - as long as it’s in one sitting) gets you $30,500 in auto merit. Of course, you need a 3.5 for that, not a 3.49.
It’s ABET accredited too, in cyber. Given there’s less than 40, that might mean something too. Note - Purdue is through the global school, not main campus - but if you apply Purdue (great school), you have little chance at CS but a possible chance if you apply to cyber, which is not in CS but polytechnic.
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott | Prescott | Arizona |
| The University of Central Arkansas | Conway | Arkansas |
| United States Air Force Academy | USAFA | Colorado |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | New London | Connecticut |
| Florida International University | Miami | Florida |
| University of West Florida | Pensacola | Florida |
| University of South Florida | Tampa | Florida |
| Purdue University Global | West Lafayette | Indiana |
| Kansas State University | Manhattan | Kansas |
| United States Naval Academy | Annapolis | Maryland |
| Bowie State University | Bowie | Maryland |
| Capitol Technology University | Laurel | Maryland |
| Towson University | Towson | Maryland |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids | Michigan |
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti | Michigan |
| Southwest Baptist University | Bolivar | Missouri |
| Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau | Missouri |
| Fontbonne University | Saint Louis | Missouri |
| University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg | Missouri |
| St. John’s University | Queens | New York |
| United States Military Academy | West Point | New York |
| Cedarville University | Cedarville | Ohio |
| University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Ohio |
| Gannon University | Erie | Pennsylvania |
| Robert Morris University | Moon Township | Pennsylvania |
| Charleston Southern University | North Charleston | South Carolina |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Tennessee |
| Brigham Young University | Provo | Utah |
| Radford University | Radford | Virginia |
| Regent University | Virginia Beach | Virginia |
| West Virginia University | Morgantown | West Virginia |