With a 29 ACT and 4.09 GPA, what schools are my matches?

Hi! I am an international student currently attending high school in CA. I am planning on majoring in civil engineering. My test scores and GPA are shown as above(For or ACT I have a E29 M35 R19 S32 W23). I only have one AP, Calculus AB. It is the only one my school offers. I have ok ECs and community services, but not engineering related. As for cost, my family can’t pay more than $45K ish for the total cost of the year so bye bye private schools…I’m interested in Iowa State and already applied to the Cal Polys. Any other schools I should take a look at? Thanks!

Not all private schools are out of your range. In fact the smaller private engineering schools are likely to offer more merit aid than any public university for an international student. Look at the smaller [url="<a href=“http://theaitu.org%22%5DAITU%5B/url”>http://theaitu.org"]AITU[/url] members. My guess is that you would be admitted to Illinois Tech, for example with some merit aid (I don’t know if it would be enough for your family though).

BYU would be an amazing match if you’re LDS

@Studious99 unfortunately I am not… I was doing some research on Utah though
@xraymancs those are awesome school thank you for sharing with me.
Do you guys think I have a shot at Purdue or Minnesota?

I think you will have difficulty in getting into Purdue and Minnesota engineering colleges. The composite 28 is just a bit low to be competitive for the college of engineering. It is probably worth it to apply to Minnesota where the tuition is quite reasonable because your math and science scores are much stronger than the composite. It is possible that this will push you over the edge.

West Virginia would have a full pay price of $35,722. Not sure what their policy is re: merit scholarships for international students…

I would have suggested several of the other Cal States that have excellent Civil Engineering programs such as San Diego State, Cal State Long Beach, Fullerton, San Jose, Sac State that would have been within your budget.

Apply to NC State - it’s within your yearly budget and a great engineering school!!

butler university

@Gumbymom Cal states are too late to apply…thank you for the comment though

@xraymancs My composite score is a 29 btw, but I know it doesn’t really make a difference. Would I have a hard time getting in Penn State as well, not considering the cost? I want to push for a highly ranked school as my reach. I feel like I wouldn’t have much trouble getting in Iowa State at least.

@zobroward Butler doesn’t have engineering

And you want a “high ranked” school why?

You are right in the middle range overall for Penn State test scores. Engineering is usually a bit higher for admission so I suspect you certainly have a chance of being admitted.

wiester you are correct I meant Valparaiso…correct state wrong school…my bad!

@dingyin714: Yes I know the application period has passed, that is why I said “I Would have suggested” those Cal States if you had posted earlier.

@Gumbymom sorry didn’t read carefully enough…

@ClarinetDad16 If I go back to work in my home country, they companies would consider the rankings as a huge factor bc I guess there are no other ways for them to determine whether a school offers good education or not. That’s how I look at academic quality as well so…

And by picking a school that has a higher likelihood of weeding you out of your desired major, and there will be stronger academic candidates than your profile, you are risking everything you strive for in the name of perceived prestige. It could be a huge mistake.

@ClarinetDad16 Are there any schools that offer a great engineering education but are not highly ranked?