Anonymous
Post 01/07/2026 00:04     Subject: Re:Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:Agree with considering ODU.


ODU is 4 hours with normal traffic. Can get as bad as 5. Know the drive all too well. Even Richmond is 2.5 hours in normal 95 traffic and that's the half way mark. I would advise strongly against 95s if proximity is a priority. Even train is not ideal if you're in Rockville.
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 22:31     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If he likes UMD and it is important to be close to home, that seems like a winner. Price will be right. With those stats he seems like a very strong candidate.

I would visit other places to see what else is out there. But it is great that there is a place that he likes that checks a lot of boxes and seems like a reasonable admit/target!

I think a lot of the rest of the list is great but half the places are not worth focusing on as UMD seems like it is pretty safe target (though no guarantee) and a lot of them are below it. No offense to those schools and this is still a useful exercise.


Agreed. UMD is a very strong target for your kid especially if coming from a private school. It's still a strong target from MCPS, but it depends on who else is applying to engineering from his HS. UMD engineering is limited enrollment, so some applying as eng are admitted but to a different school within UMD. There's the option to transfer into UMD's engineering school later.

Delaware and GMU are good safeties that both give merit bringing COA closer to in-state. JHU and Princeton would be reaches, but I'm not sure what income level needs to be for significant financial aid at those schools.


OP here,

The NPC’s for Princeton and JHU come in significantly below UMD. UMD gives merit and the NPC doesn’t factor that in, so that doesn’t mean that they will be cheaper in the end. I expect that Lehigh and UVA, both of which meet need, would also come in close to UMD.


Highly selective private universities are generally going to be more affordable than state flagships for middle class families. If this is a Princeton caliber kid, you have a lot of options, especially if you broaden your geography or choose to pursue merit. But when it comes to engineering, the "good" schools are often very different than a US News list. Like, UVA - very good school in most majors - isn't really an engineering school. In a 200 mile radius from DC, that would be Maryland, Penn, Virginia Tech, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Delaware.
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 22:11     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:it's a little further but VA Tech



Like seven hours from Maryland. Long, long drive


Not from Rockville, MD which is just across the river from NoVA. Bing Maps says it takes just under 4 hrs. from Rockville, which is where the OP lives.
DP
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 21:18     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:Best to check your school's scattergram or each college's Common Data Set for GPA/Test score ranges but here's a guessing start for a MD resident:

Likely:
Catholic University
Delaware
Drexel
GMU (check OOS stats, getting harder for engineering)
Penn State - Harrisburg
Rowan
TCNJ
Temple
UDC
VCU

Match:
Bucknell
GWU
Lafayette
Lehigh
UMD
Villanova

Reach (b/c they are for anyone):
Johns Hopkins
Princeton
UVA


Thank you! How many would you apply to in each category?


Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 21:11     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
GMU has an excellent engineering department and does very well at internships and job placement. Inquire about merit money to bring it down comparable to UMD
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 21:08     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:it's a little further but VA Tech



Like seven hours from Maryland. Long, long drive
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 20:52     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
UVA Engineering is small. Much smaller than UMCP Engineering or VT Engineering. It is a fine place to apply, but the small size can make admissions feel like a lottery.

UVa's engineering program has a very high graduation rate, maybe 94%, so if accepted it would be a good option. No weed out classes. Supportive environment. First day they told students that "everyone here is capable of graduating with a degree in engineering" provided one is diligent and goes to Office Hours to get help when needed.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 20:10     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:Best to check your school's scattergram or each college's Common Data Set for GPA/Test score ranges but here's a guessing start for a MD resident:

Likely:
Catholic University
Delaware
Drexel
GMU (check OOS stats, getting harder for engineering)
Penn State - Harrisburg
Rowan
TCNJ
Temple
UDC
VCU

Match:
Bucknell
GWU
Lafayette
Lehigh
UMD
Villanova

Reach (b/c they are for anyone):
Johns Hopkins
Princeton
UVA


Lehigh engineering is very strong, could be a good fit for your kid!
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 19:39     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Best to check your school's scattergram or each college's Common Data Set for GPA/Test score ranges but here's a guessing start for a MD resident:

Likely:
Catholic University
Delaware
Drexel
GMU (check OOS stats, getting harder for engineering)
Penn State - Harrisburg
Rowan
TCNJ
Temple
UDC
VCU

Match:
Bucknell
GWU
Lafayette
Lehigh
UMD
Villanova

Reach (b/c they are for anyone):
Johns Hopkins
Princeton
UVA
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 12:02     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:it's a little further but VA Tech


Absolutely this, but OP has set a particular radius.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 07:50     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If he likes UMD and it is important to be close to home, that seems like a winner. Price will be right. With those stats he seems like a very strong candidate.

I would visit other places to see what else is out there. But it is great that there is a place that he likes that checks a lot of boxes and seems like a reasonable admit/target!

I think a lot of the rest of the list is great but half the places are not worth focusing on as UMD seems like it is pretty safe target (though no guarantee) and a lot of them are below it. No offense to those schools and this is still a useful exercise.


Agreed. UMD is a very strong target for your kid especially if coming from a private school. It's still a strong target from MCPS, but it depends on who else is applying to engineering from his HS. UMD engineering is limited enrollment, so some applying as eng are admitted but to a different school within UMD. There's the option to transfer into UMD's engineering school later.

Delaware and GMU are good safeties that both give merit bringing COA closer to in-state. JHU and Princeton would be reaches, but I'm not sure what income level needs to be for significant financial aid at those schools.


OP here,

The NPC’s for Princeton and JHU come in significantly below UMD. UMD gives merit and the NPC doesn’t factor that in, so that doesn’t mean that they will be cheaper in the end. I expect that Lehigh and UVA, both of which meet need, would also come in close to UMD.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 07:22     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:If he likes UMD and it is important to be close to home, that seems like a winner. Price will be right. With those stats he seems like a very strong candidate.

I would visit other places to see what else is out there. But it is great that there is a place that he likes that checks a lot of boxes and seems like a reasonable admit/target!

I think a lot of the rest of the list is great but half the places are not worth focusing on as UMD seems like it is pretty safe target (though no guarantee) and a lot of them are below it. No offense to those schools and this is still a useful exercise.


Agreed. UMD is a very strong target for your kid especially if coming from a private school. It's still a strong target from MCPS, but it depends on who else is applying to engineering from his HS. UMD engineering is limited enrollment, so some applying as eng are admitted but to a different school within UMD. There's the option to transfer into UMD's engineering school later.

Delaware and GMU are good safeties that both give merit bringing COA closer to in-state. JHU and Princeton would be reaches, but I'm not sure what income level needs to be for significant financial aid at those schools.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 06:45     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:I didn’t realize Catholic has engineering?


Yes, it does: https://engineering.catholic.edu/academics/departments/index.html
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 22:53     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
If he likes UMD and it is important to be close to home, that seems like a winner. Price will be right. With those stats he seems like a very strong candidate.

I would visit other places to see what else is out there. But it is great that there is a place that he likes that checks a lot of boxes and seems like a reasonable admit/target!

I think a lot of the rest of the list is great but half the places are not worth focusing on as UMD seems like it is pretty safe target (though no guarantee) and a lot of them are below it. No offense to those schools and this is still a useful exercise.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 22:50     Subject: Reach/Target/Likely list for an engineering student who wants to stay close to home
Anonymous wrote:Princeton and Hopkins are reaches

UMD and UVA are targets

I don’t know what to do with all those private schools in Pennsylvania, but I wouldn’t ED to any of them because it means giving up instate at UMD


I don't think he's going to ED anywhere, because we need to compare offers. He could SCEA to Princeton, because it doesn't prevent him from comparing offers.

He really likes UMD. It's one I'm confident will make the list.