#UIUC vs UMich Engineering

6 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

supple vine
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Schools: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign vs University of Michigan
Intended major: Electrical Engineering at UIUC and College of Engineering at Umich
I am an international student.
Similarities:
Both are top engineering schools with strong recruiting

Large public universities with lots of resources

Good job placement in engineering/tech

Big campus, strong alumni networks

Costs:
UIUC: ~$65,000/year

UMich: ~$85,000/year

Difference: $20,000/year ($80,000 total over 4 years)

Parents can afford both (around 250k USD a year income post-tax), but I’m concerned about whether UMich is worth the extra cost

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Pros:
Top-tier Electrical Engineering program (arguably stronger than UMich for EE specifically)

Cheaper by ~$20k/year → less pressure about ROI

Very strong recruiting in semiconductors, hardware, and tech

Known for engineering focus and depth

Cons:
Less flexibility if I decide to switch out of EE

More “engineering-heavy” culture (less balanced across fields)

Location is more isolated (college town)

I don’t like the overall vibe as much as UMich

University of Michigan (UMich)
Pros:
More flexibility to switch majors within engineering

Strong across many fields (not just EE)

I prefer the campus, environment, and overall university experience

Better balance between engineering and other interests

Strong alumni network and reputation broadly

Cons:
~$20k/year more expensive

I feel pressure to justify ROI due to cost

I am unsure about what I want to do and picking an expensive uni stresses me out a bit - Concern about switching majors and still needing strong job outcomes

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My preferences in what I want to study are more centered towards the three traditional sciences than math (which I know seems more weird since I am an EE major but don’t ask what my 17 year old self was thinking, and I’ve only come to terms with knowing exactly what I find fun recently). Honestly I am just looking for overall opinions and someone to talk to. I want to focus more on what I’d like to study than thinking about career and job prospects since i can’t imagine myself in any career as of now, but the high cost of both unis makes it difficult to do that. Any advice would be much appreciated.

fathom heart
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Both schools would be pretty flexibile to let you switch out of engineering if you wanted to. I think the fun part of engineering is you get to combine math/bio/chem/phys in one degree typically. Maybe not for ece as much, but definitely for mechE.

But yes if you want to switch out of engineering, that should be readily accessible at either school but you should fact check me

supple vine
lean moon
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How is it harder to switch to a different engineering major at UIUC than UMich

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Could you switch to Engineering Undeclared at UIUC before entering