Can you share your current list right now? That might help in thinking of suggestions.
I’m assuming that you’ve already researched the schools offered up in previous posts, correct? If you could let us know what appealed about certain schools (or repelled about schools eliminated), that would help us in offering additional suggestions.
University of Oregon has a large selection of CS courses:
https://catalog.uoregon.edu/courses/crs-cs/
and math courses:
https://catalog.uoregon.edu/courses/crs-math/
You may want to check class schedules to find out how frequently each course is offered.
Note that graduate level courses are listed, which may be of interest if you are very advanced (particularly in math).
Yeah, of course. It’s still in it’s early stages but I’m still open to suggestions folks! I feel like I missing reach schools as it’s pretty much safeties + reaches for CS at this point lol.
2024-25 College List:
Georgia Tech
Purdue
UMass Amherst
OSU/ASU/ U Alabama (not sure which safety to pick, also considering U Arizona)
Raikes UNL
Pomona
UChicago
Dartmouth
Northeastern
Other LAC(Colby, Grinnell, Williams, Swarthmore, Amherst, Bates) - recommendations?
Also interested in before mentioned Dartmouth Dual Degree Sister School program.
(Harvard, Stanford , Princeton, MIT) How many of these should I include on the final list?
Considering Columbia, Penn, Duke
Washington & Lee(for full ride)
Is San Jose State University a good idea for this list?
Considering UF
Any other colleges you’ve seen work out well for similar academic profiles/interests + how did they end up turning out?
I liked the LAC idea, thanks for suggesting that. I don’t like all parts of a LAC but I’ve looked a bit into it and plan to visit some pretty soon to get a feel for what I like in a university. I ran the calculations and Raikes would only be 18k with scholarship and it looks like a great program. I know WashU has CS + Business but it’s unfortunately out of our price range. Any other programs like that that come to mind. As a side note, my main interests are in STEM; would applying to Yale just be a waste of time? Linguistics is cool but my focus is definitely on the Math/CS side of things with linguistics/business just being side interests of mine that I would like to study more deeply. For me, a job is pretty important and I want to make the college investment worth it so I’m not as interested in the other parts of college( eg. greek life, parties, food, etc>) but it’s still going to be factored into final decision. Haven’t looked too much into CWRU or some other schools mentioned but still open to suggestions. Thank you so much for the help already given, you guys are a lifesaver in this whole process.
For each LAC or other small school, you may want to check the CS, math, and linguistics departments for what upper level course offerings they have and how frequently they are offered.
I think you have too many - and too many types of schools.
For example, an LAC is going to be small and a name your school - Purdue/Ga Tech - are going to be large and in some cases really large.
I think you have lots of great names here - and names that will hit your target - and that’s the most important thing.
Ga Tech is a tad over budget - and it’s a reach. It’s in the city.
Purdue has been historically less reachy. It’s in a small town - but they’ve over enrolled - so does that mean it’ll be a little reachier next year? But a reach. It’s within budget full pay.
UMASS is likely. It’s $57K direct cost (tuition room and board) but some on here think you’ll get $16K. So if you get the merit, it’s likely - but if you don’t - you’ll remove it. Smaller town - and there is a possibility to take a class at neighboring Amherst - note the LAC aspect. Also, UMASS is always rated in near any poll a top 5 school for food - if it’s important to you - and many find out, if that’s not important it should be.
UNL Raikes is a different kind of program - so if that’s appealing. UNL itself does not get as many out of state students.
OSU is a great name and likely but it’s near $55K direct costs. I believe you can get enough merit to get to $45K - but like UMASS, not a sure thing. I think it’s a target.
ASU - different in that it’s huge and urban - it’s campus is less “campusy” but some love that - as opposed to U of A which is more traditional. ASU looks like $52K for CS…there’s also an Honors College fee if you join Barrett - and it’s renowned. …so another few thousand. So the cost is high but you should get $16.5K off.
Alabama - you get $30,500 off so with a $49,188 cost you’ll be under $19K. If they are still doing to National Hispanic Recognition - (not published), it was four years full tuition and a year housing.
U Florida - is $41K (Tuition, room and board) - and a fine school - smaller town, like a Purdue.
U of Arizona - more “campusy” than ASU but also having budget issues. Last year you’d have gotten $30K off but this year $20K off. That’s $59,046 minus $20K.
Now here’s the question I have for you - you don’t show Oregon State but it’s a very good school - it shows $30,873 billable costs.
Would you choose OSU over any of the schools above? If so, then those schools are easily eliminated.
Now your large publics - some are rural, some suburban, some urban. Some warm, some cold. Do any of these matter to you/
But you have enough schools above - that make a fine list - and I’d personally add U of MN - as another top ranked school - in line with the 2nd tier (below Ga Tech and Purdue). That list has reaches, targets, and safeties.
Now look at the next list:
Pomona - have you run the NPC? DOes it hit budget? If not, remove it - because there’s no merit aid.
Same with Dartmouth, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and MIT as well as Columbia and Penn - you might include a couple if and only if they make budget. They will be heavy essay and unlikely.
U Chicago and Duke have very very very hard to get merit. Northeastern is a tough school - but merit is possible. It’s a co op school so non traditional in that sense? Does that bother you?
Colby, Williams, Swat, Amherst, Bates - again, schools with no merit aid.
Grinnell has it - but do you want to go to a small school in a small town in Iowa? There’s 142 Hispanic kids out of 1700.
W&L is worth the home run - it’s a rural school in a small town so hard to get to - but the Johnson is spectacular and goes to 10% of the class. Davidson has a similar scholarship but not near the volume. Schools like Macalester, Bucknell, Lafayette, Occidental, Denison and more have merit aid - but will it get you to $45K - unlikely.
If you want an LAC or are interested, I’d try Whitman. Why? They’ll give you an aid pre-read before you apply so you’ll know where you stand - and it’s very respected.
But you might also look at Trinity in San Antonio - and then big merit schools - Kalamazoo, Depauw, Allgheny, Wooster, etc. But I find it hart to believe that given your school list - an LAC would be good for you.
You have 20 spots - so use them wisely - but applying to schools you have zero chance of attending budget wise makes little sense.
Good luck to you as you narrow in on schools.
For anyone who’s like me and needs a visual reminder of the original list in comparison with the current list, here you go:
| Original List | Current List |
|---|---|
| Arizona State | Amherst |
| Arizona State | |
| Georgia Tech | Bates |
| Harvard | Colby |
| MIT | Columbia |
| Northeastern | Dartmouth |
| Oregon State | Duke |
| Princeton | Georgia Tech |
| Purdue | Grinnell |
| Harvard | |
| Stanford | MIT |
| Northeastern | |
| U. of Massachusetts | Oregon State |
| Penn | |
| Pomona | |
| Princeton | |
| Purdue | |
| Raikes UNL | |
| San Jose State | |
| Stanford | |
| Swarthmore | |
| U. of Alabama | |
| U. of Arizona | |
| U. of Chicago | |
| U. of Florida | |
| UMass - Amherst | |
| Washington & Lee | |
| Williams |
Hmm, I have to disagree. I think that most of your list is made up of reaches! Perhaps you meant targets? Below are my guesses as to what your chances for admission might be at the schools on your current list:
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Arizona State
Oregon State
U. of Alabama
U. of Arizona
UNL – generally (your stats are in line with students admitted to Raikes, but I don’t know how many with similar stats that they end up turning away, so the chancing here is just for UNL, not for Raikes)
Likely (60-79%)
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Grinnell
Purdue
U. of Florida
Washington & Lee (but low probability for the full ride)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
Amherst
Bates
Colby
Columbia
Dartmouth
Duke
Georgia Tech
Harvard
MIT
Northeastern (if you want to start at the Boston campus…if you’re okay with an alternative site then this might be more of a likely)
Penn
Pomona
Stanford
Swarthmore
U. of Chicago
Williams
To not make this post even more overwhelming, I’ll post suggestions in a different post. By the way, I’m assuming the NPCs at all private schools on the current list indicate that they would be within budget?
Have you visited any college campuses? If so, which ones? What were your impressions?
I’m hoping that making a visit to some Portland area schools would be pretty easy for you. While there I would check out Reed, which is very much a fit school, so don’t think of it as emblematic of all LACs. But if it’s a good fit for you, and the NPC comes back affordable, I think it could be a good addition to your list. Lewis & Clark has what I think of as more of a “typical” LAC vibe, and would be good to visit to see whether that vibe suits you. If neither of those end up appealing to you at all in real life (not necessarily the programming, but the size, vibe, opportunities, etc), then a liberal arts school may not be the right fit for you.
Additionally, I would definitely visit U. of Oregon and Oregon State. Same as with the LACs, see if those end up appealing to you (size vibe, opportunities, etc). That lets you know how you feel about bigger schools.
If you end up liking both types of schools (and you think you’d like something in the middle as well), then I’d craft your college list so that you have options for all of those types of schools at various levels of selectivity.
So you would have at least one LAC, one big state school, and maybe one medium-sized one school in the likely/extremely likely category. Then perhaps repeat in the toss-up area. Then perhaps repeat in the low/lower probability categories. Of course, if your favorite examples of those schools happen to be in the likely/extremely likely category, there’s no need to add others where chances of admission are less likely.
Moreover, I would give some serious thought to your application list strategy. First off, think about how much time you will have to devote to college applications. You do cross country/track for 15-20 hours/week year-round, you’re in robotics (decent time commitment), chess club (5 hours/week), you’re doing various competitions and other activities, etc. All of this is on top of attending school and completing your assignments in a way that will be consistent with your current GPA.
College applications at the schools with low admit rates generally have many additional supplements required (or “optional” which generally means required if you want to be admitted). I’ve heard of schools having upward of 6-7 additional supplements requirements (including colleges on your list). Multiply that by all the low/lower probability schools on your list and you’re looking at 120-140 extra supplements. And this is on top of all the stuff in your “regular” life. Additionally, not only do these supplements need to be completed, but they need to be completed well if they are to be an asset to your application.
So basically, think about the amount of work that will be required to do submit a strong application and then think about what kind of bandwidth you have to devote to the applications.
My other comment is to reflect on how you respond to rejection. You are a very impressive candidate and whatever school you decide to enroll in will be lucky to have you. The low/lower probability schools have far more strong candidates apply than they have the room for. The vast majority of the strong applicants to those schools will receive a rejection/waitlist. Some people thrive on rejection, because it fuels them to be even more amazing wherever they land. Those individuals can have a very reach-heavy list. I think that most people tend to be hurt and upset by a rejection. Most people can handle a certain amount of rejection, but the more rejection they get, the harder it can be to bounce back. I find that most people tend to do better with more acceptances than rejections. You are the only one on this board who knows yourself, but I would give some serious thought as to how much potential rejection you can handle in a healthy way as you determine how many low probability schools to include.
And here I’ve written another lengthy post and haven’t offered many more suggestions in terms of schools (though I did mention Reed 
). But just wanted to give you some additional food for thought with respect to how you want to build your college list.
Okay, last post for a while. If you’re looking for some additional schools to consider that are on the smaller side (I’d call these small to medium-small), I think these are worth investigating, especially Brandeis. You’ve also been given lots of other great suggestions. I would recommend checking those out and then seeing if you really need more.
Extremely Likely
Truman State (MO): About 3600 undergrads
U. of the Pacific (CA): About 3300 undergrads
Likely
Toss-Up
Brandeis (MA): About 3700 undergrads
Oberlin (OH): About 3k undergrads
Occidental (CA): About 1900 undergrads
Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ): About 4100 undergrads
Union (NY): About 2100 undergrads
Lower Probability
Carleton (MN): About 2100 undergrads
Davidson (NC): About 1900 undergrads
Macalester (MN): About 2200 undergrads
Vassar (NY): About 2500 undergrads
Wesleyan (CT): About 3100 undergrads
Low Probability
Just some thoughts…
I would apply to both OSU (in-state assuming this is Oregon State) and ASU (known for good merit aid). Having two safeties to me seems like a good plan. Whether you also apply to Alabama IMHO is entirely up to how interested you are in the school. It is pretty far away from Oregon. These are also very good schools – having solid safeties to me seems like a very, very good start on a list.
These are both very good for CS and math. I think that they are worth applications. U.Mass is some distance from Oregon, and will occasionally get snow storms right at the point that you are trying to travel (probably true at Purdue also). However, I have worked with a LOT of U.Mass graduates and the best of them are really, really excellent (I still remember a problem that stumped two MIT graduates and was solved quickly and very well by a U.Mass graduate – who would be excellent regardless of which university he had attended). The campus is also attractive and as others have mentioned it has better food than most (at least based on reputation, and our experience in perhaps 3 visits to the campus).
Both reaches. Both very academically demanding. Do you want to work very, very hard for four years and learn an enormous amount? MIT has a combined major “Mathematics with Computer Science” 18C which to me is about as much fun as one can have when working this hard at a top university.
Stanford is excellent for both CS and math. I loved it (I got my master’s there). I had a roommate and friend who taught me how to cook enchiladas and refried beans, which suggests that they might have some Latino students (at the time he was just a good friend and a strong student, I had no clue and did not care whether he might be Latino). Harvard and Princeton are both excellent for math, and not quite as well known for CS but probably decent (I am pretty sure that they are both trying to fix the “not well known” part). To me the “how hard it is to get admitted” to “how strong they are for CS” ratio does not seem favorable for Harvard or Princeton. I might say the same for Chicago. I do wonder whether or not this will have a favorable impact on the difficulty of admissions for a potential CS major who is academically excellent.
I do not think that you are getting any merit based aid at any of GT, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, or MIT. They are all likely to be expensive.
For us Northeastern was in a close tie with BU for the most expensive school that either daughter got accepted to (she went elsewhere, then switched to a major that neither school offers).
Given everything you’ve said to this point you need more than one safety (by which I mean a safety you would be happy to attend), maybe more than two, even if only to compare financial awards between them.
Thanks for all the helpful replies.
To clarify, OSU was referring to Oregon State. Ohio State is a good school but not sure if worth the cost even after merit aid as I could probably go to a cheaper school that’s still good for CS/Math. I would get decent aid at ASU(Does anyone know if Western Undergraduate Exchange + Merit aid can be combined? If so, I will definitely place it as higher on my list. U of A is probably too expensive for what it’s worth. U Alabama is solid for merit aid but I’m not sure I want to go to a school with such an emphasis on athletics and so far away from everything else just because it’s “cheaper”. As for U Florida, how is it for CS/Math? What do post-undergrad opportunities look like there? One of my friends with similar stats was admitted to UF as a presidential scholar. What is campus life like? How about San Jose State, is it worth it to go out of state just for the career opportunities? How are the campus and academic opportunities(research, etc.)
As for all of the reaches, the ones I listed were the ones that were affordable after running NPCs. To respond to @AustenNut first post I do not intend to apply to every school listed, if multiple schools were listed on the same line it means I would apply to 1-2 of those. That’s why I asked for how many HYPSM+ schools I should apply to and LAC recommendations for my interests. As for UChicago/Duke it is extremely unlikely I would get any merit aid, but I ran NPC’s and the numbers run very close to or under budget(UChicago is pretty generous despite my financial situation).
The next point was that I meant to say I was missing targets in last post, not reaches(mb). For Northeastern is it worth it to go to alternate campus? Are the merit aid opportunities still the same regardless of campus? I’ll be visiting the California campus soon.
I’ve visited OSU/UO + PSU- disliked PSU’s ‘campus’(it doesn’t have one) and their mission/school in general. OSU was kinda cool as I like the town and decent programs but a very easy school and not the best with AP credit from what I’ve heard. Don’t remember much about UO but it’s a nice place fs, a bit too much emphasis on athletics and running for me though.
In regards to workload, I am not applying to all of the colleges I listed. This was a rough draft and I plan to narrow it down extensively. My mother is unemployed so we very likely qualify for fee waivers(thankfully), income last year was around 210-220K, increased this year but I am very fortunate to have the perfect timing regarding fee waivers until my mother gets a job again(very likely that period of unemployment will not last long). For workload, I understand this year will be especially rough regarding academics + essays but I plan to ease off cross country if needed after the season ends mid October to focus on essay writing. My school fortunately offers a college counselors that has helped me with essays for internships in the past and “Advisory” required work blocks that give ~40 min week to work on college/career related activities as well as required school stuff(senior photo, etc.). I am completely used to rejection as earlier this year I applied to many internships, jobs, and summer programs and was rejected from a lot of them. It can especially be rough for me once I receive 10+ rejection letters but I learn something from each one and have put together successful applications for many programs and have learned a lot about how to represent my best qualities. TBH, I thought college was not an option(or at least not a smart one for our financial situation a couple years ago) and was not focused on EC’s or course rigor very much, but I am very grateful to be somewhat naturally intelligent and succeeded in school. Because of this, I am not expecting many acceptances and that is ok because I didn’t spend my time in high school preparing for college, I mainly focused on my personal life instead of spending time on EC’s or additional course rigor. If I’m accepted to one of my reaches I will be extremely grateful but I will still be grateful if I only get accepted to one or two schools. I’m not sure what I want to do for grad school/PhD, go corporate right after college, or consider starting my own business or doing nonprofit humanitarian work yet, so even if I end up at a safety I’ll still have to consider whether it’s in my best interest to transfer or try to get into a better grad school program. Either way I do plan on going to a T20 school eventually as it’s a life goal of mine I’ve been fortunate enough to start pursuing junior year and regardless of how long it takes, it will be accomplished.
Dw about ur post length, I also write long posts.
I’ll look into some of the colleges you guys recommended, Is Stevens Tech still a respected institution. As a side note, friend is going to Whitman with similar stats but he didn’t receive the best aid package TBH I kind of want to experience studying somewhere else than the Western states. Are any international universities with good programs for my interests affordable/realistic admits? UChicago has good aid + research(which is something I haven’t pursued too heavily but if possible I would like to try it for undergrad or during senior year summer.
This was a long post but I’m very grateful for all the advice given. If you have any additional suggestions, please let me know.
Depends on the school.
But note that Arizona State University offers WUE tuition only at its three commuter oriented campuses, not the main Tempe campus. WUE schools may also limit what majors may be done under WUE tuition. It does not appear that CS is available at WUE tuition, and applied math at the West campus may not have as many course offerings as on the main Tempe campus.
SJSU is about half commuter, half resident. CS is the most selective major there; thresholds in recent years have been around a recalculated-for-CSU GPA of about 4.3 (see Freshmen Impaction Results | Admissions ). The CSU recalculation of GPA takes academic courses in 10th-11th grades and adds 1 point for any AP or college course up to a maximum of 8 such bonus points. Note also that each semester of college course counts as 2 courses and 2 grades. Like other CSUs, its focus is more on job and career preparation rather than research (bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered, no PhD programs). Its location with relatively easy access to computer companies is a likely reason for its popularity among CS majors.
I don’t believe ASU offers WUE in Tempe - but I put the #s above - you’d get $16.5K off (I believe) vs. a tuition room and board of $52K - so putting you under $40K.
Thanks for the clarity on OSU. I think because of sports (since you note it later), it’s what I think of when you say OSU.
It’s very telling that you’ve placed Oregon State in some type of value proposition - because it can help you eliminate unnecessary apps - i.e. I’d choose OSU over that school.
The gift of Alabama is if they’re still awarding the National Hispanic Recognition which would be 4 years free tuition and a year of housing. If that’s not appealing or overall under $20K and you’d take Oregon State full pay over it, then absolutely remove it. It is a long way from home.
While I appreciate your perspective on sports at Alabama, I would say that if it bothers you because it’s got such an emphasis on sports, then I’d remove most of your public school list. It’s a big flagship in a big league that is the envy of every school. It’s focus is likely no different than schools like UCLA, UIUC, UF, UMN, and others. It’s execution is far better - but make no mistake, all schools, especially in big athletic conferences, are sports attached - including Oregon State which has a huge debt issue due to all the money they spent on facilities, not realizing the Pac 10 was going to leave them for big $$ with the Big 10. All large publics in big conferences are trying to become the next Bama, UGA, UF, etc.
There’s a reason they have, quantity wise, the most NMFs - and a state of the art engineering school and campus that’s like Disneyland - clean and beautiful. The buy kids like you in - over 1100 from CA, 1500 from IL, and nearly 2K from Texas. Oregon - not well represented - but I don’t think your academics would be diminished from other schools - and I don’t think your job outcomes would be either. My kid had 19 interviews and 5 offers by xmas - so I think a lot of things people perceive don’t translate to real life - across the country. But I do think if you like OSU, then eliminating any school you’d attend it over, side by side, is worth eliminating upfront to save time. But in the end, in most cases (a UIUC, U Mich, UCB in this case will likely be different) - a flagship is a flagship, etc.
UF is a large campus, small town - it’s national rep has grown in rankings although I’m not sure if most people see it. I think it’s no different than other big flagships - UGA, Bama, Oregon, Colorado, etc. but - it’s selectivity is certainly higher. Yes, sports rules there - but at any top SEC, ACC, Big 12, or Big 10 school it will. It’s why ADs are paid a king’s ransom as are the conference commissioners. I will say this - there are several rankings - not just US News - and UF seems to do well in all the rankings - so it’s certainly done a phenomenal job.
When you say how is campus (UF, SJSU, it’s hard to know - because it depends on what you want in a campus and surrounds - so it’s worth a trip if possible. For example, I prefer FSU’s campus (it’s more compact)…UF is larger.
NEU - I’d say no - and you wouldn’t necessarily have access to the classes you need in an alternate location - and getting to $45K is not going to happen.
btw - many schools will offer fee waivers. Get on their mailing lists - U Chicago is one - at least when my daughter was applying - if you did a FAFSA, you got an app waiver.
WUSTL - and we weren’t even interested although I signed her up for the list - sent a fee waiver - although they were just looking to milk app #s so they can have a higher rejection level.
SMU - and their Presidential - they had a fee waiver if you applied by Sept 30th.
W&L had a fee waiver.
Get on the email lists of any school that interests you…that will bring some. Sometimes, they’ll give you a waiver if you do an online session - Pitt did that.
I still think, UMN - if you like urban and surrounded by Fortune 500 companies - is a great merit school for you with a highly ranked program.
Good luck.
University of Alabama discontinued College Board National Recognition Program scholarships in 2023.
I said if - and it’s the risk.
You get $30,500 for the SAT, GPA and the 3.5+ and 1420 SAT. $28K from the school and $2500 from engineering. So they’re assured $20K-ish.
They have an app - where you can earn more money. My daughter, for example, earned another $4K.
What we don’t know and why I said if is - was the scholarship discontinued due to the supreme court rule? And if so, might they be awarding the equivalent under different terms.
If and only if the OP was interested in a huge, huge offer and if they had a spot left or even if they did the Bama app - which is not much (although the scholarship app is) - it might be worth it - for that reason. But that’s up for OP to decide.
I don’t know the answer to my question - but it wouldn’t surprise me if they were still awarding similar awards to certain folks. So it’d be taking a chance on that.
But again, OP has mentioned a lot of school names - but OSU as a barometer certainly seems a wise strategy.
If OSU beats a certain school, like Bama or Florida head to head no matter the cost, then there is zero reason to apply to the others and in fact, maybe it becomes wise to apply to schools like UMD, where they likely cannot afford - but only apply in hopes of winning the BK - knowing they have OSU as a fall back.
Be cautious about ASU’s costs, since the $16.5K is fixed but base tuition goes up every year (5% or so in recent years), which makes the net cost go up much faster (has been ~10% pa for tuition). Also, the honors college costs quite a lot extra.
The cost of WUE schools will not increase so fast since you just pay 150% of instate tuition. OP has not commented on Utah (which is very strong for math and good for CS), and there are plenty of other WUE options in the mountain west region. OP should see if any of these might be preferable to OSU.
Probably yes. We have some familiarity with some of the universities in Canada.
For schools near Oregon, but in a slightly foreign country a bit to your north, you might want to look at UBC, U.Victoria, and Simon Fraser U. U.Victoria is quite good and has the mildest winters in Canada (UBC and SFU are similar in temperature, but get more rain in the winter than U.Vic). The University of Calgary and the University of Alberta are also quite good (but with colder winters).
Otherwise you are probably looking at schools quite a bit further east, and therefore quite a bit further away. Toronto, Waterloo, and McGill are excellent. All have real winters. If you want to go all the way to the east coast (quite a distance if you want the east coast of Canada) then Dalhousie is another possibility.
The cost of these may vary, with the most famous being somewhat likely to cost more. Also, different provinces may have different degrees to which they will subsidize prices for international students versus wanting to make money from international students. Remember that prices are listed in Canadian dollars, and keep the exchange rate in mind.
Admissions in Canada is largely based on stats. With a 4.0 unweighted GPA and 1500 SAT your chances would be quite good for most of these schools. At this point I am not sure how competitive admissions is for international students majoring in CS at the highest ranked schools, which for CS would be UBC, Toronto, Waterloo, and McGill.
Yes, most schools raise tuition - so that should be taken into account. U of A didn’t but that might have changed given budget issues (like the $30K merit is now $20K).
And I noted earlier that Barrett and in that case Franke at U of A have substantial surcharges. In the case of Barrett, is $1K per semester I believe.
Also, schools like Purdue and Minnesota and I know others - have higher fees for engineering/CS - I’m assuming because the prevailing career wage will be higher so they can charge more. Not pushing Bama but it’s the only school I know that goes the other way - with a high SAT/ACT - but that’s because they’re trying to close that gap - they give you money. Not sure if there are others.
So OP should check at every school for tuition differentials and honors differentials.
Like stocks, past performance is no guarantee of the future but Purdue (as an example) hasn’t raised tuition in forever - and I don’t think it went up during my son’s four years at Bama…that’s not to say Purdue or any other school can’t in a year or two go up.
Not every kid wants Honors - I was PMing with a high schooler last night - who’s a total stud but had zero interest in Honors at the school he’s high on because to him it was a lot of Humanities classes. Each Honors program is different - and some charge, and some don’t.
Given Barrett, for some, is a destination more than ASU itself, it makes sense they charge - but the overall cost should still be under $45K - but you are right, you never know what type of increases schools take.
Purdue has not raised tuition since the Great Recession that pinched state budgets and the amount that states could subsidize their state universities with.
Recessions that result in lower tax revenue to state governments tend to be the times when state universities raise tuition to make up the amount lost due to state governments giving them less money.
You are smart to consider “fit” beyond cheap. For some cheap is the sole criteria but wherever you choose remember you have to be there day, after day, after day.
Most strangers giving you advice have inherent biases and predispositions but only you can determine what will work best for you. Hopefully others will respect your personal insights and preferences. Follow your heart.