Hi there! Has anyone already created a spreadsheet (with tuition, minimum scores, type of application, etc.) of various colleges for engineering? I was going to start one, but I figured that someone on here has probably already done that. I know some of the information (like tuition) may have changed slightly but probably not by much.
If you have such a spreadsheet, please PM me if you don’t mind sharing a copy.
Sounds like too much busywork to me. I would instead look at schools where your child is competitive that fits his/her overall criteria. Consider your kid’s gpa, where you live, type of engineering and all sorts of nonmajor specific wish list items. Engineering is found at many schools in every region of the country with student ability ranges from average to elite. That other guy’s spreadsheet will ignore some of the best choices for your child.
Keep it simple. Look at instate options where your child could be admitted. The factors you mention come after a list is made.
Probably a simple spreadsheet would start with columns for:
I thought everyone created a spreadsheet.
^Same! My dad and I made one to help make my decision once we knew where I got it. It included net price over 4 years, distance from home, selectivity, ranking, overal feel of the school, and how much merit aid I got compared to the current student body.
I can send it to you (minus my personal net cost) if you want- it included WPI, Case Western, Northeastern, Clarkson, SUNY at Buffalo, SUNY Binghamton, and RIT. I might still have a spreadsheet from before I got accepted that has more general info 
I agree with ucbalumnus. Simple spreadsheet. If you wanted to add more, you could add deadlines for each school., submitted application, admissions “verdict”,
There are some schools that first year engineering students are not admitted to a specialty until after first year. I think Purdue is that way. Students spend the first year learning about the different types of engineering, then they pick.
Just google it and you’ll find ones that people have done and posted. I downloaded one and modified it to my personal desire but a lot of the work was already done. By that I mean the structure - no colleges with data was present. I added all that based on colleges my daughter is looking at.
I included the specific ACT\SAT composite and math scores from the ASEE web site for each engineering school that otherwise met DS’s criteria. Whole school ranges can be significantly different from engineering specific stats. Search under the “online profile” for each school for that data. It is updated each year.
Thanks for the feedback. We are in Texas, so we just happen to have at least 3 really good engineering schools in our “backyard” - Texas A&M; UT; and Rice. However, for UT, if you decide on one major and then change your mind, you then have to apply for a transfer into another major. If your grades are good, this my not be difficult (I don’t know), but it seems like a pain compared to when I went to college in the 80s, and you could just switch. One upside or downside to A&M is that freshman year you have to do the general engineering overview, like Purdue. This may help you decide which engineering path you want to take, or it could slow you down, if you start in one discipline and decide to stick with it. And, both schools are extremely large. Rice is smaller, and I think, more flexible, but expensive.
I know there are other schools with good merit aid besides Texas schools, but these are some of the things that get complicated.
We have visited all three and about three other schools out of state. My kids don’t seem to love any one school over another. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are “bloom where you are planted” students. LOL
Thanks again for the feedback.
Both UT Austin and Texas A&M appear to have more demand for some engineering majors than the departments can handle. UT Austin admits to the major, but changing can be difficult since some majors only have space opened from attrition. Texas A&M admits to first year pre-engineering, but students have to compete by GPA and essays to get into their majors (though usually less difficult than changing major at UT Austin).
Neither is ideal. A student sure of his/her major may find UT Austin better; a student who is not sure of which engineering major may find Texas A&M better. Of course, a school where all of the engineering departments have sufficient capacity to accommodate all students declaring or changing their majors is the least stressful for the student. But these schools are usually very well endowed private schools that are extremely selective and expensive if you do not receive lots of financial aid, or much less selective schools where the number of students who can handle the rigor of engineering is smaller than departmental capacities.
My senior son just went through this process. We did not make a spreadsheet. Finding minimal SAT / ACT scores is tough for engineering programs. You definitely want to fall above the 75th percentile for more competitive schools. Big State flagships like Purdue and VT have GPA requirements when applying into your major after Freshman year Purdue 3.2 and VT 3.0 to assure you get accepted into major. I think you will find this pretty common. Best of luck.
The minimum GPAs for admission to engineering specialties can be misleading. Stated minimum may well be higher because they take the best kids and often get more kids with GPAs higher than the minimum so kids over the minimum do not get accepted.
What happens if you do not get into the specialty you want? Can you find another one you will like and also get into? And for some kids, getting into engineering college is an issue. What happens if you do not get accepted after your freshman year? What other majors are available and how good are those programs?
My kids wrote old fashioned lists. They did not create spreadsheets. Lists can include what would be included on a spreadsheet. Why a spreadsheet??
And A&M has s pretty high GPA for admission to engineering, I believe, leading to stress.
@thumper “Why a spreadsheet?”
Just because as information changes, it is a lot easier to add, delete, change, or resort information, and then reprint it.
How hard is it to make a grid with various descripters on each column…
However, if you tell us your stats, intended eng’g discipline, how much your parents will pay, home state, and any else that is relevant, we can probably come up with a school list for you.
For engineering, we found that one of the most important factors is ability to get admitted to a major, and the ability to change majors.
Key questions are:
We had a spreadsheet with SAT scores, GPAs, percent in the top 10% and admissions rate for S2. The nice thing about the spread sheet was you could sort by any of those columns. I used to guess what might be reach, match or safety. In the end my kid’s acceptences lined up perfectly with the admissions rate column. (He wasn’t an engineer - so other columns were majors offered, percent Greek, kind of location (urban, suburb, rural), overall size and a few others.
Texas A&M admits to first year pre-engineering, like Purdue and Virginia Tech. The college GPA to gain automatic admission to a specific engineering major is 3.5. Otherwise, admission is competitive, and includes essays when applying to the major.
https://engineering.tamu.edu/28784.aspx
https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/advisors-procedures/entry-to-a-major
Virginia Tech students are in General Engineering as freshman.