<p>Truust, it is a myth that Cal and Michigan have larger classes. All research universities, even those with 7,000 undergrads, will have a similar ratio of huge classes (200+), large classes (50-200), medium classes (20-50) and small classes (less than 20). Some universities, especially in recent years, have flooded their roster of classes with utterly useless seminars to make it seem like they have smaller classes, but if you compare core classes, both electives and within your own major, you will see that there isn’t that much of a difference in class size across research universities. Cornell and Michigan have similar class sizes.</p>
<p>To the OP, Cal, Cornell and Michigan are all excellent for engineering. As many have suggested, CoA is a very important factor to consider. If money is tight, I think you should look into other options. Some have mentioned Georgia Tech, Minnesota-Twin Cities, Purdue-West Lafayette and Wisconsin-Madison. But there are many others worth checking out. CalPoly-SLO, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech to name a few.</p>
<p>Among private universities, many have generous financial aid, including Northwestern, Rice etc…</p>