Should I spend 15k/year more for UIUC cs+x than Purdue cs

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For better community input, please provide the below details about your college offers:
if I go to uiuc I would try to transfer to cs+math/stat/or econ which I heard is possible from people I talked to since I am already in cs+x. I also heard the cs classes take up 60-75% of the curriculum.

Net price per year at each college, after applying scholarships and financial aid grants.

65k/year for uiuc and 50k/year at purdue based on what my fin aids estimated I could try and live off campus after freshman year to reduce costs

Maximum parent contribution per year.

my parents said they can do half of the 4 year costs of uiuc so 130k for the 4 years but my parents said they could help me after college but they were pretty vague.

Major/division admitted to at each college, if applicable to the college. Also, any special programs like honors programs or combined degree programs (e.g. BA/BS->MD).

cs department at purdue and grainger engineering for cs at uiuc and the x is in whatever school the x is in so adv is in media and math/stats/econ is in las.

If you applied to regular fall term start, specify if you were admitted to start at a different campus, in study abroad, in an online/distance or extension program, or other than in the fall term.

fall term at main campus for both.

Desired major and post graduation goals (including if pre-med, pre-law, etc.).

cs and I would like to work in big tech, faangs, or a startup after college. I also want to see if I could become a quant but I know its way harder so its just to see if I was interested since I am not knowledgable about it.

If not a frosh admit finishing high school, indicate status (e.g. sophomore level transfer, junior level transfer, frosh after gap year(s)).

International or domestic student (and state of residency if domestic).

Student preferences beyond the above (including weather, class sizes, campus culture, college demographics, fraternities/sororities, distance from home, etc.).

I live in nevada so both are pretty far and it seems campus culture is about the same. I also maybe want to see more asian people because my school had like 2 other asian people in my year. For weather I think its similar for both too.

Preliminary assessment of each college based on the above.

I’m not too sure I just know purdue for cs and basketball.

Why did you apply to each college you are considering?
their cs program rankings

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Based on your post, UIUC seems to be unaffordable.

Can you afford Purdue at $50,000 per year plus ?

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UIUC does have a large Asian and Asian-American student population with lots of dining spots on campus.

But I agree that UIUC sounds unaffordable, and the program transfer is possible but not guaranteed. Purdue is an excellent school. Go there.

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Looks like UIUC would cost $130k beyond parent contribution, and Purdue would cost $70k beyond parent contribution. Either number is well beyond what you can borrow on your own.

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Did you just get off a waitlist at one or both? The regular commitment date was several weeks ago.

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Listen to UCB! How are you paying for either of these???

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I was committed to uiuc but got off the Purdue waitlist recently

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Couldn’t my parents cover some? That’s what we read with the parent plus

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Both schools seem like more debt than I’d be comfortable with, but by all means switch to Purdue which at least cuts the debt load in half.

Even if you believe that there’s a meaningful reputational difference between UIUC CS and Purdue CS (of which I am skeptical), that may well be cancelled out by the more “dilute” CS+X degree. While you can probably switch from one “X” to another, you cannot switch into straight-CS, and that also means that options like the 4+1 BS/MS are not open to you at UIUC.

If all you know about Purdue is CS and basketball, then it doesn’t sound like you researched it very thoroughly, earlier in the process. But Asian students are well-represented there (both domestic and international) and it is highly-regarded for STEM. I would save the extra $60K, which will have a significant effect on your life after college.

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Purdue, UIUC, Georgia Tech, UCB/LA are giants in the tech/stem world.
Whichever is least expensive among the 2 (Purdue, UIUC) will be the best for you, as both are excellent for what you want to study and have a relatively similar “vibe”.

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I’m very biased but not a chance I’d pay more for UIUC over Purdue, especially since you are needing loans. These are peer schools with similar vibes, although I think Purdue has a much nicer campus, a stronger career center, and a better supported co op program (which can help you with your costs).

Boiler Up!

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I agree with everyone else. UIUC seems unaffordable and Purdue has a great reputation. Basketball at Purdue is a big deal and they have a fun rivalry with IU.

I do think you need to ask your parents to work out exactly how your education will be paid for. The maximum student loans you can take out is $27k over the four years of college.

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@Fjgdgjvrd, Purdue has a strong and well recognized CS program. It’s not “less than” UIUC in any meaningful way, and definitely not when compared to a “CS+X” program.

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If they don’t have the money up front, wouldn’t parent loans be a financial burden on them?

A $70k debt burden is considerable, but a $130k debt burden is worse. Also, if your preference is purely CS, as opposed to wanting to study somewhat less CS to make room to study whatever X is, then the place where you can study more CS is likely the better choice from an academic standpoint.

Do you have any non-financial non-academic preferences where the schools or locations may differ significantly?

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So your overall budget (if you take out the $27k max in fed loans, plus your $130k parental contribution – $157k total) comes to $39250 per year. That’s without your parents taking out personal loans. I assume you could take a summer job to take care of things like travel and food/fun expenses.

Do any of your acceptances fit that budget?

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In-state UNR or UNLV , if applied to and admitted, would be affordable without debt.

UNR’s application deadline was 4/7, but it’s matriculation deadline is 6/1. UNLV’s application deadline is 6/1.

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I think that there’s a significant difference between Purdue and UNR, even more so UNLV.
In that case the expense may be justified in terms of experience, peer level, opportunities, alumni network.. (in addition ,Purdue also offers co-ops and an excellent career center for internships etc.)

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I saw from another post that uiuc had a good asian population so maybe that but it’s not a big deal breaker. I’m just thinking about uiuc because of its higher ranking may help in employment and internships maybe.

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Purdue is superb and you wouldn’t recoup the 60k difference, especially since with the amount of loans we’re talking about it’d actually be much more due to cumulative interest).
If you worry about employment, look into the co-op opportunities at Purdue.

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UIUC 22% versus Purdue 14% according to College Navigator. For comparison, UNR 8% and UNLV 15%. If you want more, there is University of Hawaii 32% (late application deadline June 2).