Why are OOS flagships so popular these days?

[Anonymous]

In my local Fairfax County high school, there’s been a sizable cohort of kids attending South Carolina each year. Several kids I know, including my own brother years ago, who were VT/JMU caliber got scholarships/Capstone Scholar status at SC. They were offered reduced tuition, effectively giving them in-state prices.

There’s also the SREB exchange where students can get in-state tuition if they pursue a certain degree not offered at a public in their home states.

[Anonymous]

In VA, it's often because kids don't get into UVA and VT (or JMU), but they still want the big state flagship experience. So they apply to OOS flagships. These kids don't really want to go out of state, but they also do not want to go to VCU, GMU, or ODU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems that many more DMV grads are choosing OOS state flagships ahead of their mid and top ranked in state options. What is the appeal? Is it because it’s far from home? The cost is so much higher, I am confused why this is now en vogue.

This was the same in the 80's when I graduated from a DMV public HS. If a family could afford it, the kids went out of state....among public universities Michigan, UVA, Delaware, JMU, Va Tech, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn St, WVa were the common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In VA, it's often because kids don't get into UVA and VT (or JMU), but they still want the big state flagship experience. So they apply to OOS flagships. These kids don't really want to go out of state, but they also do not want to go to VCU, GMU, or ODU.

This. The kids I know who've gone to U of SC, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Delaware did so because they didn't get into UVA or VT.

[Anonymous]

Big flagships with big sports are a lot of fun and OOS flagships have more cachet than schools like Towson or ODU/Mason/VCU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure I would put UVA and UMD in same category. You are going to OOS public instead of in state UVA because you didn't get into UVA. Not many Michigan, UCLA and UNC admit cases. UMD, while a really good school and not that easy to get into instate -- it is not a highly ranked public, more middle of the road. So very likely the OOS is better and you may have even received some merit to make it comparable in price. Add in the allure of geographic diversity and some more interesting places to go to school than College Park and there is your answer. Still think UMD is great choice, great school but not the same declines as UVA......

or because you're not white or Asian and want a school with more diversity of black or Hispanic people.

Or because you simply didn’t want to go to UVA - something that is probably unfathomable to the PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems that many more DMV grads are choosing OOS state flagships ahead of their mid and top ranked in state options. What is the appeal? Is it because it’s far from home? The cost is so much higher, I am confused why this is now en vogue.

They get to go away from home to explore a new life. They get to avoid local state schools everyone and their cousin goes to. If they can't attend top privates they want, OSS comes as a consolation prize.

[Anonymous]

A lot of families moved here from out of the area, and sometimes the kids are going where their parent(s) went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure I would put UVA and UMD in same category. You are going to OOS public instead of in state UVA because you didn't get into UVA. Not many Michigan, UCLA and UNC admit cases. UMD, while a really good school and not that easy to get into instate -- it is not a highly ranked public, more middle of the road. So very likely the OOS is better and you may have even received some merit to make it comparable in price. Add in the allure of geographic diversity and some more interesting places to go to school than College Park and there is your answer. Still think UMD is great choice, great school but not the same declines as UVA......

UMDCP is Top 50, higher than the mentioned Penn State, Ohio State, etc.., and even higher than UVA for STEM majors.

It’s really not. Ohio State is consistently ranked higher (most recent US News for example- OSU is #16 top publics and UMD is #19) and Maryland is ranked equal with Rutgers and Florida State. Locally we know that Computer Science at UMD is 2nd to none, Stem is rigorous and that many high achieving kids are rejected. But nationally, Maryland is not a “highly ranked public” the likes of UVA, Georgia Tech, UNC, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, etc. at least by my definition, which would be like the top 10 ranked publics. UVA is nationally recognized, the two should not be analyzed the same imo.

[Anonymous]

The main reason, at least in the case of Virginia, is that the state didn’t grow their flagship school enough. UVA is too small of a flagship for a state with over 8.5 million people in it. It’s half the size of its peers and isn’t serving the people of Virginia nearly as well as it should.

[Anonymous]

UVA waitlisted my kid and didn't bother applying to Tech because he's high stat and didn't want to ED. Crossing the Potomac as a CS major...Go Terps!

[Anonymous]

“ Locally we know that Computer Science at UMD is 2nd to none…”

Don’t kid yourself. It’s second to at least a dozen other universities.

“ UVA is nationally recognized…”

…but not in STEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my local Fairfax County high school, there’s been a sizable cohort of kids attending South Carolina each year. Several kids I know, including my own brother years ago, who were VT/JMU caliber got scholarships/Capstone Scholar status at SC. They were offered reduced tuition, effectively giving them in-state prices.

There’s also the SREB exchange where students can get in-state tuition if they pursue a certain degree not offered at a public in their home states.

Historically S Carolina was popular at my kids school too, but class of 2023 seemed to switch to Tennessee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my local Fairfax County high school, there’s been a sizable cohort of kids attending South Carolina each year. Several kids I know, including my own brother years ago, who were VT/JMU caliber got scholarships/Capstone Scholar status at SC. They were offered reduced tuition, effectively giving them in-state prices.

There’s also the SREB exchange where students can get in-state tuition if they pursue a certain degree not offered at a public in their home states.

+1

[Anonymous]

Merit aid! Both my kids got around $15000/year from their OOS schools.