OP said close so that may rule out NJ but would 2nd (or 3rd) The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Was my DC's runner up. Husband is ME and felt good about it (he's a Stevens grad but our DC didn't want a tech school). Catholic was on DC's list as a safety as was Frostburg (their ME program is a joint with UMD College Park FWIW).

One other thing. UVa does not have deliberate weeding-out classes. They filter during the admissions process instead. On the first day of UVa Engineering School at orientation the Dean and faculty are very clear that anyone admitted is -capable- of graduating.

This does not mean UVa is easier than any other Engineering school, though. There is little or no “play time”, even for smart students, in any Engineering School. It is a lot of hard work. See the separate thread on “Engineering Degrees” for more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA Engineering is small. About 500 ugrad students/year across all majors.

Is engineering direct admit?

I do not understand the question.

UVa’s Engineering School has its own applicant pool and its own admissions process. A student applies to a specific school (e.g., Arts & Sciences, Architecture, Nursing, or Engineering) within UVa. Admissions to Engineering (and Nursing and Architecture) are very competitive, partly because it is a small Engineering school (and a small Nursing school and a small Architecture school).

Elizabethtown University in PA has a very interesting engineering program. Based only on the schools where the engineering faculty earned their PhD’s, I would say that the faculty at Etown stacks up against any engineering faculty at any university in the country. Yes you read that right.

Manhattan College in the Bronx.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shippensburg University in PA.

Possible financial problems

At a state university? Probably a safer bet than many privates.

Anonymous wrote:UVA Engineering is small. About 500 ugrad students/year across all majors.

Is engineering direct admit?

Anonymous wrote:Some less selective options:
Stevens Institute
NJIT - is in Newark so kid would want an urban experience
Widener in PA
Drexel
Drew University -3+2 with Columbia

Stevens is in a fantastic location, both for school and jobs.