It appears the Hope is $4500 for the first two years and $5700 the last two years. There also appears to be $5K auto merit (I read somewhere the student got a 33 and a 3.8). So that’s $9500 off.
It stacks with UTK merit.
The student will definitely spend less than $25K at UTK, substantially less - if I’m reading it right.
Their costs as I see it are $25984 for this year.
$11332 tuition and $2152 fees
$8188 housing and $4312 dining
They add $1598 for books, $3054 for transport and $3042 for miscellaneous.
Not sure if they have an engineering fee like some schools - I see in one summer $65 per course but not sure if all year.
I still go back to - if they want to go to Ga Tech, the parents may be able to cash flow some of the delta (has to talk to them) and the parents have to agree to take the loans (also have to talk to them).
So I hope the student does. But there’s no doubt they’ll start way behind.
It all depends on location and cost of leaving. Salaries in TN (where many graduates of UTK stay) are lower than in Atlanta, DC, NY or CA.
Computer programmers in DC do not make as much as programmers in NY, Boston or CA no matter where they got their degree.
I did initially the same, but decided to Google. Sure enough TN also had Hope, but it is much more smaller than the one from GA. Something like at most 5k a year.
Georgia is more generous - it’s good to stick with that.
Plus, you read a lot more about UGA!!
But I’m guessing the delta here is closer to $33-5K a year - but if OP has $100K saved up, another way to look at it - is they can pay UTK and have much left over for grad school, another sibling, or for the parents to fund them a hefty Roth IRA, now allowed with the new rules.
Yep,TN is not very generous in general. DD and I constantly struggle mentally with its minimal wage too. It is literally half of what we have in DC area. It is almost at the level forget about working during the year (do not waste your energy) . Get home and work here during summer.
Yes- I misspoke earlier, the Tennessee volunteer scholarship is $9000 for ACT of 34 to 36, not 33. So I am assuming that that OP will have 9k in volunteer scholarship.
Eyemgh has had, in my opinion, several outstanding comments in this thread, including this one. It is an incredibly important point.
In my personal experience, I had a six figure student loan debt after graduating with a professional degree. Challenges that I faced with a $1,200 per month minimum student loan repayment:
whether to take a $35k gov’t job as a law clerk for an appellate judge for a year or two after law school (my point here is that debt forces you to possibly limit your freedom of job choices);
how to afford a home, car, etc. when a non-insignificant amount of salary is going to debt repayment;
even if your starting salary is large enough that the $1,200 per month is not inhibiting other aspects of your life, just imagine being able to invest that $1,200 rather than sending it to a loan servicing company.
I was able to pay off my loans early, but, it was not fun and we sacrificed to do so. Part of that sacrifice was not being able to invest that $1,200 a month which, compounded out, would be meaningful to most people.
As noted by eyemgh, I am not saying that choosing GT with the loan over UTK without a loan is a bad decision, but only that there are some profound long term consequences to your financial future in doing so.
I also appreciate TSBNA’s comments that if you were capable of being accepted to GT’s CS program, you are likely to do well coming from any college.
No, it’s not worth 100k in student debt. That would be financial suicide, assuming you’d be able to get the financing for it. You’re better off at UT-Knoxville. It’s a solid school.
Excellent point about CS job market. We know Georgia Tech kids that don’t have permanent jobs in CS now because the market is saturated with experienced CS people out of work. We also know Georgia Tech CS kids who graduated in May or December with a permanent job but were asked to postpone their start date for over a year.
That being said, CS offers coming out of Georgia Tech look like they are quite a bit higher than a lot of other places. Just looked at this recently - typical CS grad from UGA which is a very new program is around 90,000. Median CS from Georgia Tech is 115k and 95 percentile earn 185k but it doesn’t really matter if you have to wait a year I guess😂
Unlike a lot of other majors though CS students that are knowledgeable, and most are going into GT pretty talented coders already, can get great paying part-time jobs that they can do during the school year. A whole lot of CS students at Georgia Tech end up doing this and make a lot more money than they would at a coffee shop. This sort of job also looks great on a résumé and can help someone get a well-paying internship after their first year.
Co-ops are also a great way to earn money that can fund subsequent semesters.
Definitely worth a conversation with parents. Just because they’ve saved $100,000 doesn’t mean they won’t be able to fund the difference out of current income.
I agree best to avoid loans but ROI may make it doable.
Here’s the deal: My parents are divorced, but my combined family income is somewhere around 350k. I’ve spoken with both of them about potentially contributing a proportion of the 100k left yearly, but they are adamant that the rest would be my full responsibility, even after discussing the potential ROI difference and the size of their own income. My mother wants to build a new house upwards of $500k and that makes the financial situation unfortunate for me, but it is what it is. I don’t think I will be able to convince them to contribute.
I would definitely rather attend Georgia Tech. I definitely like Atlanta over Knoxville. I just can’t convince myself to take on the risk. I can’t necessarily predict whether I will be happy at GT vs UTK. I would rather be unhappy at a school debt free than unhappy with 100k of debt hovering over me.
It’s unfortunate but at least thanks to your hard work you don’t have to attend community college.
Is there any choice you like better than UTK butvis less expensive than GTech?
Undergraduate research can be very helpful in figuring out your interests and preparing you for graduate school. I’d like to encourage you to reach out to Ryan to learn how to take advantage of everything UTK can offer.
OP, the above statement from @BuckeyeMWDSG is really on point and, IMHO, so important for several reasons: (1) Engaging in undergraduate research puts all the classroom work into perspective, and helps translate theory into practice, which in turn makes you a better student in the classroom; (2) It gives you an opportunity to get to know faculty, and have them get to know you – which can be helpful down the road by having potential references for jobs and/or graduate school; (3) It provides an opportunity for you to stand out amongst all your classmates; and (4) As mentioned, it can help you figure out where your interests lie.
Although Ryan Lee is a general research/fellowships “coach” – and he is the perfect place to start for ideas – once you decide where you land (computer science or computer engineering) be sure to talk to someone in the specific department, perhaps a faculty member whose research interests pique your curiosity, about potential research opportunities. When you meet faculty members, ask them about their research – professors like to talk about themselves and their research! – and whether they might have any undergraduate laboratory or research opportunities that you could work on. Seize the bull by the horns, so to speak (faculty like students who take initiative).
I’m a corporate recruiter in tech with a company you would recognize. The key for CS is more about internships and experience you get in school more than where your degree is from. The good news is you should be able to stand out at UTK. Focus on crushing it in the classroom and getting internships and work. You can always get a Masters at GT or elsewhere and there is a decent chance you can get someone else to pay for it if you take care of business. Worst case you pay for it but you will spend about what you would have just to get the 1 degree.
GT is a great school and we hire a lot of folks out of there no doubt but you made a wise and far less risky choice.
