Even if you don’t meet the criteria for auto-admit to UT Austin, I would be surprised if you didn’t have a good chance with your stats.
With an intended major of Industrial Engineering you shouldn’t worry about secondary application for majors. That usually becomes an issue for students who want popular majors like MechE and AerospaceE.
Are you sure? The closest I see is computational engineering: Majors
University of Alabama doesn’t have industrial engineering per se, but here is what they do have. Perhaps one of these will work for you. This school will come in at or below your price point.
And University of Alabama Huntsville does have it!
I actually like the list from the OP. But I don’t like that they say the essay will be good to excellent or something similar. Just make it excellent. You seem to have that capability. Michigan State honors could be interesting since you would get at least a scholarship that would equal in state tuition. Plus mentorship and study abroad money but you would also be up for a full scholarship. It’s not called Industrial engineering but applied engineering but they usually have the top supply chain program in the country. Something to look into Majors, Degrees and Programs | Michigan State University
I like Texas Am also if he doesn’t get into sine of the others.
My son graduated Michigan in IOE in 2021 if you have specific questions, PM me. It’s a great field.
Also as stated, there is no magical money. If you run the programs and it says it’s not there well, it’s not there. If you do ED and get in and don’t accept it, it can affect your school going forward. It’s really not meant to be a pat on your back if you get in but can’t afford it anyway. Have a talk with your school about it before signing the contracts. Yes, you can pull out. No one’s throwing you in jail. But is it the right thing to do. Maybe there is a more realistic school to RD to.
Good luck.
Another likely school is Kettering. Very cool model and great career outcomes.
I agree with others that you have GREAT in state options, the envy of much of the country.
Here’s a podcast with an interview with the president.
This seems like a good list. Certainly you can apply RD “just to see if you can get in,” anywhere you like, if you have the time and energy to spare for writing a strong application. You can also apply EA to MIT, since that’s your one potentially-affordable super-reach. Even if you don’t get rejected in December, a deferral is more likely than an acceptance, and an EA application doesn’t ultimately improve your odds of getting in, but there’s always that small chance of good news before the holidays. Definitely read the “Applying Sideways” advice, as DadTwoGirls already recommended.
Although I’m not an expert on Texas-specific admissions, it seems to me that you should get into A&M given your strong credentials, and with such a good academic fit, good financial value, and strong reputation, it sets the bar high for where else is worth applying. Hopefully you will apply EA and get in in December, and then you’ll be set and other acceptances will be “gravy.” In addition Texas Tech is certainly a safety, and a good one.
So, you’re in good shape, and it’s completely up to you whether you want to add anything else to the list. I don’t think schools with no projected path to affordability make sense, but there are some good OOS programs that do give merit - whether they would give enough or not, I don’t know, but maybe possible. Arizona State and Michigan State have already been mentioned; UMass Amherst and UW-Madison could also be worth looking into. Maybe U of Utah (which has a great honors college and a path to residency after the first year that would lower costs significantly), but their IE is grad-level; undergrad IE is a specialization within MechE.
Good luck!