UMASS is not known for OOS merit money, although there is not 0. My second point is there are several large state schools that meet OP’s criteria that are more likely to be affordable.
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Good point! H has a co-worker (we live in California) and he applied to UMASS-Amherst and is not attending because the merit wasn’t enough to really it make it affordable. Plus he got into other schools that ended up being more affordable. I will say I have heard nothing but good things about UMASS-Amherst, but is it worth coming from out of state or the west coast to attend?
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@Twoin28 I forget…are you also looking at University of Delaware? They have fine engineering programs there, and very good merit aid for OOS students.
It’s worth looking at UMass…but UMD is going to be hard to beat. But U Del might do that!
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Not true. UMass Amherst gives out OOS merit money like water, up to 18K/yr. In fact, most decent OOS students whom I’ve heard of, except in majors that were extremely selective (a few years ago that was Comp Sci, but with the advent of AI, I don’t know if that has changed) were offered top merit or just below top merit money. However, even with top merit, they’re still paying about 15K/yr more than in-state students are, without fin aid, so it’s to UMass Amherst’s benefit to pull in those OOS students who might be thrilled to come there for 45K/yr, but not for 63K/yr.
OP, the main advantage of U Mass for your kid is that unlike UMD where I suspect 100% of his class will be applying, the odds of him being shut out due to “bunching” are significantly reduced.
He is a very qualified candidate for UMD. But if his GC is concerned that he won’t get in– as qualified as he is- it’s not because of HIM, it’s because there is no lack of other students from his HS who are just as qualified. If the stats suggest that UMD has no problem taking every qualified kid who applies from his HS then ignore the U Mass suggestion. But if there’s a chance he won’t get in to his own state flagship, then finding strong backups is a good plan.
I personally love UMD for the academics. Not sure the actual campus/surrounding area is everyone’s cup of tea. U Mass is closer to outdoorsy stuff, has the other colleges in the area with plenty of activity and bustle and concerts and other “collegey” stuff to do on weekends. I know the kids from Mass always say “hey, it’s just a Greyhound bus ride to downtown Boston” but somehow they never leave the area! (and it’s not THAT quick a bus ride- it’s on the other side of the state). So he may love the campus or hate it- but it’s a solid academic option just in case UMD is not a sure thing.
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Source please.
You may know more than I do.
For the record, I think you will pull UMD for engineering. Please come back and share your results.
Besides UMASS (no issue if you want it on the list), consider Alabama, Iowa, and Mississippi State if you want engineering programs and merit. They will be affordable based upon your stats.
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I recently was rereading a thread where the food at UMass came up. In rereading this, it made me understand why so many people talk about it! And before the thread ended, UMass had been ranked #1 in the country for a sixth year in a row (don’t know if it has continued its run since then).
For reasons given in the OP’s other threads, colleges in these states are unlikely to be of interest to the student (because of state government policies).
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I think we’ll look at some point. I am not sure it will make the list, but I could be wrong.
That is correct. Those states aren’t the right place for our family.
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Thanks for reminding me. I didn’t fully realize this was related to a past one. Were Ohio State and Purdue also eliminated? Although more competitive, this is a top-tier applicant imo.
His GC hasn’t met with him about colleges yet, so his concern about UMD doesn’t come from the GC. There’s just a lot of chatter about UMD being “unpredictable”. His school certainly sends a lot of kids to UMD. So, I don’t really know if his feeling that he might not get in is based in reality.
I think ideally he would prefer a more urban area than the area around UMD but it’s not hard to get into the city from there. I think “collegey” is the opposite of what he wants. He is very much my kid in that respect. I attended a school in a suburb and was going into the city to volunteer, and explore new neighborhoods by the first weekend of freshman orientation. In contrast, I didn’t go to a single party or sporting event in four years.
As for “outdoorsy”, if people he enjoys are doing something like a hike or rock climbing or something, and he has free time, he’ll go and have a good time, but it’s not something he seeks out. The exception to that is skiing. He does love to ski.
We’ll see what he thinks when he visits.
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I don’t think he’ll consider either of those. Or Case Western, another school that comes up a lot as a potential fit.
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Assuming you don’t mind going 10-20k over your budget, there will be several solid options in the end. Since I am confident with Maryland, I think you will be all set. Best of luck.
There is a ski area not far from UMass.
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I hope you are right about UMD! The net price calculators of many of the private schools have come back aa affordable, so it’s possible he will have those options too.
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I visited the campus last spring for a recruiting event, and the campus is actually quite beautiful, aside from the construction that was going on. But yes, the surrounding town isn’t an ideal college town (ironic, given its name).
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Also, FWIW, not sure this will change anything food wise but the executive chef at UMASS was recently arrested for killing his wife (NOT good) … Former UMass Amherst chef accused of killing wife pleads not guilty in Hampshire Superior Court .
Top merit at UMass is 18k for OOS, I assume you can also do NPC and figure out if affordable..
I don’t remember your kids’ stats off-hand, but I remember them being excellent. I can see them getting high numbers I don’t think they are super stingy with merit… You could also Google examples of honors stats, which I think gets you plenty of perks there (better housing and early course selection, which would be good there I believe))
Also, if you haven’t already seen it Umass publishes VERY detailed data by college - so you can see average GPA and SATs by engineering: Admissions and Enrollment Reports : University Analytics and Institutional Research : UMass Amherst
And if you want to get WAY into weeds how they recalc. GPA for apples to apples: Admissions / For Students & Families / Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
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It is actually very important to know how they recalculate GPA when looking at admission stats that include GPA.
Based on the calculator, it looks like they add +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP.
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