There is no way to actually answer your question of which schools would be worth the cost differential. Two reason:
- You can't live a parallel experience, so you'll never truly know the answer.
- What does "worth" mean to you? That's a values issue (not meant negatively in anyway as in if you don't do X you have lower values...). With the same exact outcome, some will say it was worth it to them to spend extra money because of X. Y and Z. Others will have the total opposite reaction. "If I got tot he same place, why would I spend a penny more?" I guess your answer (not the answer) is in the "Why".
Regardless of choice, suffice to say that UMD is an excellent school and has a very strong engineering program.
Think about your “Why” and make a solid decision.