<p>Hi,
I need some guidance - here’s the situation. I am a mature-age student (35) and Michigan resident. I never had the opportunity to attend college before, so a little over 2 years ago I got accepted to a university, quit my job of 10 years and relocated to study - in Australia. </p>
<p>After this semester I will have completed all but one of my core units, but, I want to change my program from Renewable Energy to Mechanical Engineering. If I do this I will have to take a lot more classes, obviously, and so I would like to return to the States to get the low, in-state tuition. I don’t necessarily want to go back to michigan, but after searching around it doesn’t look like I have much choice if I want to pay in-state fees (correct?). </p>
<p>So my question to you all is: What universities would be the best choices for me to study Mechanical Engineering back in Michigan? </p>
<p>I would like to locate a school and make arrangements to attend before I return to the States, but I don’t know anything about the programs other than what their website’s say. If you have any suggestions please consider my age and that I am not as sharp as many students fresh out of high school (gpa about 2.7). Any suggestions will be appreciated - thank you for the help!</p>
<p>The best engineering schools in Michigan are U Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan State, Kettering U, U Michigan Dearborn, U Detroit Mercy, and Michigan Technological U. Some of those are public schools, and if you moved to Australia from Michigan specifically to go to university in AU, you may still qualify as a Michigan resident for the purposes of tuition. You’d want to contact someone in admissions at one of the public unis in Michigan to discuss that. </p>
<p>Yes, Michigan is the only state in which you’d possibly qualify for in-state tuition. In any other state, you’d need to first move there and <em>not</em> go to university or college. You’d need to live there for a while - often a year - while you worked, got an apartment, registered to vote, paid bills, and etc. - really lived there during that time, not for the purposes of education. At age 35, I wouldn’t want you to postpone your education any longer, so try Michigan first.</p>
<p>I’m wondering how you can get in state tuition in Michigan as you are independent and have not lived there for 2 years. Contact the schools and ask, but you will probably have to reestablish residency by living there for a year without going to school.</p>
<p>Well, I’m not too sure actually… I still own a house there and I have been back to visit once… I thought I had to set foot there every 2 years to maintain my residency status, but now that so much time has gone by, I’m not sure anymore. I will have to contact the school to find out. In addition to the suggestions posted above, someone said I should check out Lawrence Tech. I read their website, but was wondering what the general concensus was with that university. Anyone? Thanks for your help - SHM</p>
<p>^ That’s true. If you own a house in MI, and if you only moved to AU in order to go to university, then MI should still consider you a resident of MI. But as you said, do check with the schools. They’ll be able to tell you if you’re a MI resident or not. But I think you may well be. And that’s a good thing, because Michigan State and U Michigan are great schools. </p>
<p>I’m not familiar with Lawrence Tech, sorry.</p>
<p>In my own career, I have interacted with people in mechanical engineering from Univ of Michigan in their nanotech program, NIMBS.<br>
[The</a> Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences - M-NIMBS Home](<a href=“http://nano.med.umich.edu/]The”>http://nano.med.umich.edu/)</p>
<p>I realize your interests might be different, but there is a wealth of talent, resources and opportunities in engineering at University of Michigan. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Thanks you all, I hope you are right about still being a resident of Michigan - after all I am still paying property taxes there, so that should be good for something - we’ll see. I will look further into the University of Michigan (and the others). The truth is though, I know that U of M is very highly regarded, but I didn’t think I had a shot at getting in. I figured their tuition would be too high for me to pay anyway, so I had pretty much written them off. But, I will dig a little deeper, even though I think I need a higher GPA than I have to get in. I’m not too sure how they feel about non-traditional students either… I guess I will find out. Thank you all! SHM</p>
<p>^ They won’t have any problem with your age. That won’t be an issue. Your GPA is a realistic concern for the top engineering schools, including Ann Arbor. But some of those others are absolutely in your reach, and even at a place like Kettering or Michigan State, you stand a shot, because your GPA isn’t from high school; it’s from college. It’s not the same as a 2.7 in HS. You also bring other things to the table - your maturity, your experience, and etc. Those things are valued in older students. </p>
<p>If you like a school, it’s worth applying, even if you think your GPA is a bit too low. Also have back up schools, but if you find Michigan State is ideal for you, you should at least apply.</p>
<p>The rules for state residency vary from state to state. I’ve heard that Michigan is one of the stricter states because it has strong public universities. You’ll have to check Michigan’s rules as to who is considered a resident for tuition purposes.</p>
<p>Temporary absence from a state doesn’t automatically cause you to lose state residency, at least in most states. Leaving a state to attend school probably is considered temporary if you intend to return to the state after graduation.</p>
<p>Do your parents still live in Michigan? Some states will consider you a resident if at least one parent still lives in the state regardless of your own age.</p>
<p>Many state universities won’t formally make a residency determination at least until you’re admitted. You’ll unfortunately have to apply without being 100% certain that Michigan will offer you in-state tuition.</p>
<p>You all have been very helpful and encouraging. Cost may still be an issue at some schools, but I think I’ll go ahead and ignore the GPA requirements as suggested above. I will email some schools this weekend to see what they say about residency. I know I could have done that before posting here, but I’m glad I came here first, as I feel a lot better about the whole prospect of moving back to Michigan now. Oh, and to answer the question above - yes, both of my parents still live there. Thanks again everyone, - SHM</p>