Student loans?

Paying for College
1

I got accepted to four universities and am excited to attend college next year. Two schools in particular offer me the best financial aid and grants.Those schools being Hofstra University and University of New Haven. I intend to commute for all four years.
For Hofstra I will be paying 19k in tuiton and 14k for New Haven.
I will be majoring in mechanical engineering
Will it matter if I attend Hofstra U over U of New Haven if i’m majoring in mechanical engineering?
Hofstra University is slightly better and offers a better engineering program.
My problem is that I will be taking student loans to attend these universities. Is the 5k more in tuition for Hofstra University worth it?
My parents plan to pay around 8-10k towards my tuition each year. In addition I will be working a part time job to help pay off my tuition as well.
I would have far less debt if I attended U of New haven although i’m worried about the potential job opportunities I will miss by attending U of New Haven.

Should I just choose the school with the lowest tuition?

2

Here are New Haven’s ABET accredited programs:
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=407&ProgramIDs=

Here are Hofstra’s:
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=387&ProgramIDs=

Both would be fine. Since you’ll be commuting I would look at the one that is lower cost or closer. As a student you are limited to $5500 in debt as a freshman so Hofstra would be on the edge of affordability.

3

Just curious…where do you live that would be within commuting distance of both Hofstra and University of New Haven?

If costs are comparable, I would be looking at the one closest to your home.