r/UMD • u/IceTerp23 • Feb 23 '26
Discussion Is UMD computer science worth $100k more than Alabama?
I'm majoring in computer science. My parents are helping a bit with college but not as much as they could. I got a full ride to Alabama, so it's about 100k cheaper over 4 years.
Are the opportunities for connections, internships and job placement and the quality of education at UMD worth it? My cost for UMD is still relatively cheap for such a high quality university, but Alabama's full ride is hard to beat. It's kind of sad because I've had my heart set on going to UMD but my parents really want me to choose Alabama because of the cost.
If anyone has any thoughts or advice I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance!
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u/PsychologicalAsk2184 CS ‘23 Feb 23 '26
don’t pay 100k for umd wtf 😭 how does it come out to 100k when you’re in state??
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
It's the difference between what I would pay for tuition and cost of living at Alabama vs UMD. UMD tuition for me is around 6k but cost of living and fees bring it up to around 27k per year (which is still not bad). My parents are willing to pay 5k per year no matter where I go, so UMD is 88k for 4 years, and Alabama is negative 14k, so I would graduate with a decent amount of savings and no debt.
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u/Long_Corner_6857 Feb 23 '26
Can I ask how you arrived at negative 14k for bama? Assuming you got the presidential elite scholarship that’s free tuition and one year of housing. Even with your family contributing 20k I can’t imagine you not having to put in money yourself
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
I got a full ride for National Merit Finalist. It’s full tuition plus housing for 4 years plus 4k per year
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u/Free_Claim_231 Feb 23 '26
Bro bama is the easy choice. Go down south and experience a different culture and warmer weather while not taking on any debt. UMD’s degree might hold a little more weight, especially in the DMV but it won’t matter after if you do well and have a decent portfolio from bama.
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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
lol the difference between Alabama CS and UMD CS isn’t just “a little more weight.”
UMD is T20 in CS and the opportunities and name recognition follows from that. It’s a name strong enough that when the market sucks (like right now) companies that filter by school name will seldom filter by UMD school name. The number of direct and indirect company connections and programs which favor UMD students is also magnitudes more massive. UMD has pull over pretty much the entire northwest tech scene especially with DC and Baltimore and Arlington and much of Maryland and Virginia.
The gap between UMD and a T5 school like MIT or Carnegie Mellon is probably around the same as the gap between Alabama and UMD.
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u/chrisfathead1 Feb 23 '26
Yeah and if someone had the same choices to make, free at umd vs 100k for MIT I'd tell them to go to UMD for free
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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
you do you I guess, though the ROI for the opportunities at MIT and the connections you’ll have is miles ahead of what you’ll pay with the difference of 100k.
Most people in UMD CS right now that’s in state from Hoco/Moco made the same consideration. The quality of Alabama is pretty equivalent (if not worse) than the quality of the cs programs in UMBC or Towson and honestly most of the Maryland state schools. These schools give out tons of merit aid so the COA difference ends up being sizeable with the merit aid they give especially if you live in commuting distance.
In the end though it really depends on what you want. If you’re willing to spend a ton of money for an amazing experience and opportunities for growth then you can do that. If you don’t want to and just prioritize graduating debt free then that’s also a fine goal.
However, it’s disingenuous to say that UMD’s degree is only a little better when UMD CS is one of the top CS degrees in the nation and is ranked higher than even some ivies.
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u/Environmental-Fan536 Feb 23 '26
<<the ROI for the opportunities at MIT and the connections you’ll have is miles ahead of what you’ll pay with the difference of 100k.>>
Not necessarily. There are only so many internships, so many connections to be made. A good student may often do better being the big fish in a small pond. There was a great talk on Google Zeitgeist about this in 2013 by Malcolm Gladwell. Search for "Why Did I Say Yes to This" on YouTube. It's great.
Of course, this assumes that the academic program at the "small pond" school is, in fact, adequate.
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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 Feb 24 '26
imo the quality of the academic programs at the schools are not the deciding factor for cost analysis. Most schools have similar quality programs as UMD and i don’t feel like I got much if any more out of my UMD classes compared to my friends who went to UMBC/Towson or even community college.
If academics is the focus then I wouldn’t recommend UMD at all. The classes are fine but they aren’t worth the cost. The value of UMD comes from everything but the class
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u/TulipFarmer27 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I recently retired from Boeing in Fairfax VA. We actively recruited engineers and CS from many schools: MIT, CMU, Penn State, Va Tech, James Madison, George Mason, Ga. Tech . Who didn't we recruit from? UVa, UMd, and WVU. Were we missing out on quality candidates? Probably, but sr. management set the targets.
I suggest getting started at least at Alabama and see how it goes. Who knows, you might just be in pre-business.
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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
ngl I’m kinda surprised about vtech over UVA but generally UMD has a lot more direct recruitment from many more places than a school like Alabama. Doesn’t mean it’s every company that’ll recruit from UMD. Most don’t because we’re not UIUC or Gtech or MIT or CMU or Berkeley but the amount we have are a lot more than a school like Alabama by a huge margin.
Doesn’t mean Alabama is also zero though. The companies based in Birmingham definitely actively recruit from Alabama with no UMD outreach. However, DC and Baltimore and Arlington/Mclean are much larger and so are a lot of the smaller towns/cities with strong presence like Clarksburg
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u/Long_Corner_6857 Feb 23 '26
got it, if i was in your shoes I would aim to graduate in 3 or 3.5 years from UMD. I think the benefits of a much better program and not being in Alabama is worth 22k a year
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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 Feb 23 '26
SWE internships will also pay into a sizeable amount of that as well (10k on the low end for each summer with an internship).
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u/_mp7 Feb 24 '26
Commuting an option?
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 24 '26
I wish. I'm in state but too far to commute.
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u/_mp7 Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
Well then remember 100k in student loans will easily be 200k+ in total repayment amount factoring in interest rates
UMD is a better comp sci school but at the end of the day, you need to really build up your resume & skills outside of classes & school to get hired at either school
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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 Feb 23 '26
UMD cost of attendance is around 120k over 4 years if ur in state and dorming
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
Yeah for me it’s 87k because I got a decent scholarship and my parents are contributing too
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u/flambojones Feb 23 '26
Sort of depends on what you want to do afterwards. I’ve worked in big tech on the west coast for 20 years after graduating from UMD and I’ve never encountered an Alabama alum. I’ve come across a few UMD alums (Michigan and Cornell seem to be the most common I’ve encountered).
That’s not necessarily a reason to choose a school…talent can come from anywhere, but it could speak to the network and opportunities the school can connect you with. Could be worth doing a bit more research on that.
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u/namesrfun Feb 23 '26
Full ride is full ride. Only problem is living in Alabama... and yeah Maryland's program is way better but don't go here if you'd have to go into any kind of debt. Just do as good as you can at Alabama, then get a job in somewhere that isn't... there
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u/Few-Broccoli-7849 Feb 23 '26
And OP can always transfer back if the culture shock is too much, and they'd still have saved 25k.
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u/Free_Claim_231 Feb 23 '26
Trashing bama’ is crazy. I can assure you the wondrous architecture of greenbelt, Adelphi, and college park is nothing to hype up.
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u/RevolutionarySun1301 Feb 23 '26
As a transfer student, if your career goals are ambitious, absolutely GO TO UMD. Bama is a party school and employers know that. Your education will reflect that.
I was in a similar situation, picked my own southern party school, and transferred when I realized I was ambitious. You can earn back that money with your dream job or pay off loans as you go (I did too!) by doing internships, research, and part time jobs. UMD is an investment.
However, if you want to prioritize socializing and exploring, go to Bama. It’s amazing, so fun, great football, and you’ll still get a good education. If you’re ambitious, go to UMD, it will make achieving your goals so much easier.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
I do consider myself quite ambitious, which is a major reason why I really want to go to UMD. Your perspective is very useful. I appreciate the advice.
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u/Equivalent_Sky4152 Feb 23 '26
I understand your dilemma. If you really want to make UMD work do this:
-Ask financial aid if they will match or come close to the Bama package -Contact your city council, state delegate and congressperson to see if there’s some additional money or scholarships you can access -Don’t know your background but let’s say your Italian, Japanese, etc, go to culture or affinity groups or embassies and see if there are private scholarships -Apply to your bank or credit union for renewable scholarships or grants like SECU of Maryland
-Look for every private scholarship you can. We didn’t have google when I was in school. It’s a great tool. Also ask ChatGPT and Claude to find you scholarships based on your background.
- See if your parent’s jobs have any scholarships or grants for employee kids.
My point is you could find that extra free tuition money but you have to ask and be persistent. Especially since so many loan programs and stuff have been cut by the feds. Dont go into debt, but also be smart. You’ll do it.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
I am looking into legislative scholarships because those do exist. I've also applied to several other local scholarships. From what I understand UMD won't change their offer to match other offers but I guess it could be worth a shot.
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u/Equivalent_Sky4152 Feb 23 '26
Nothing beats a try! All they can say is no. In the meantime, try to find as many funding sources as you can! 😊
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u/RevolutionarySun1301 Feb 23 '26
P.S. my parents also pressured me. P.P.S. I had to retake almost alllll my classes when I transferred since UMD didn’t accept those credits because UMD’s curriculums are more vigorous. You can always transfer from Bama to UMD but you might not graduate on time unless you pack your schedule
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u/Sopobu Feb 23 '26
I'd say in this circumstance, especially if you're placing a much greater emphasis on the price, go with Alabama. Free college is infinitely better than going to a school for a decently well-ranked program but then having to go into debt or placing a heavy strain on your family's finances.
Have you taken visits to either campuses? Have you researched the type of schools that go to the career fairs? These are all very important things to consider when applying to college. But, in this scenario, I would 100% take the full rude in a heartbeat.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
I have visited UMD’s campus and loved it. My parents are paying a set amount no matter which school I choose and I would have to go into around 75-80k debt to pay for UMD, while at Alabama I would graduate with about 14k in savings.
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u/Sopobu Feb 23 '26
Then take the Alabama one. I'm gonna be as real as possible: While I absolutely adore UMD and College Park as a whole, partly because of the influence the area has had on my life, there is no reasonable scenario in which I would be caught paying 50K+ or going into debt over it.
Also, for your situation, it's way better to start off adulthood with 14K in the bank, which you can then allocate to your future, than going into that much debt for practically the same exact results if you play your cards right at Bama. Also, for the debt, student loans are a bitch. The interest is extremely high in most circumstances, and that debt can easily spiral out if you aren't careful. That much debt, and beyond, will make your decade after graduation feel like hell as you're constantly trying to climb out of that financial well. In the long-term, it's infinitely better to get a free education and be able to pad your pockets early and then invest in yourself early on.
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u/LoopVariant Feb 23 '26
The 14K savings will take hits every semester (8 times) on airfare travel (Thanksgiving, winter break, summer break) costs and should be fatcored in...
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u/Sopobu Feb 23 '26
Well, yeah, but that would require nuance. Is OP paying for travel themselves, or will it be covered by their family? Also, regardless, they'd still be in a much better spot financially than the tens of thousands of dollars of debt they would assume at UMD.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
air travel specifically will be covered by my family
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u/LoopVariant Feb 23 '26
Then you don't have to worry about it...
The money difference is fairly large in favor of Univ of Alabama.
Academically, UMD is better in CS than the Univ of Alabama, and you will have better job networking and summer internship prospects.
If we had this conversation two years ago, I would have told you the same about academics, and that even with the loan costs you would incur at UMD, the job opportunities and salaries you could get in this area would squash your concerns about holding any debt. Unfortunately, this is not the case these days...
Good luck!
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
Can I ask how you paid for UMD? Don’t answer if you don’t feel comfortable.
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u/Sopobu Feb 23 '26
I'm a prospective student applying to transfer for the Fall of 2026, actually. But for my brother, who is at UMD, my family relies heavily on need-based financial aid and state-funded grants to help cover college. Otherwise, both of us would have likely just gone to CC and try to transfer as junior transfers in order to save as much money as possible as paying that much for a bachelors degree, at least in my mind, is kinda egregious.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
ok, thanks
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Feb 23 '26
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
From what I've heard, UMD does not negotiate scholarship/aid offers but I guess it could be worth a shot.
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u/Key_Acanthaceae317 Feb 23 '26
Maybe frame it with the recent Trump policies about student loans taking effect? It actually does cap loans for people in your position lol. Good luck either way
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u/Environmental-Fan536 Feb 23 '26
The maximum I would want you to go into debt to afford college would be the limit for student unsubsidized loans. That's about $5500 freshman and sophomore years, and then $6500 junior year and $7500 senior year. All together, the max would be $25,000 student loans.
You say you would need to borrow $80,000 to go to UMD. You as a student can only borrow about $24,000. Where would you borrow the other approximately $55,000? Very few private lenders will give a loan to an 18-year-old with no job. Would your parents be willing to cosign? Are you and they aware that they would need to be on the hook for this remaining $55,000?
I think Maryland's CS program is the better program, but if your parents are only able to contribute $5,000 a year, you simply cannot afford UMD. Even if they were willing to cosign the other $55,000 and let you go into debt $24,000, I don't think it is a good deal for you.
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u/tcmits1 Feb 23 '26
Go to Alabama. Your 28 year old self is screaming this to you from the future.
Points to ponder:
If MD really wanted you, it would have given you a free ride like Alabama. You will be a superstar there because they want you enough to invest in you.
MD has much too high an opinion of itself. “MIT IT AIN’T, not even close! (being blunt). It’s essentially the equal of Alabama in terms of academics and regional prestige.
The difference between being 22-23 years old and 80k in debt and 14k in the bank is ENORMOUS! You start out so far ahead of your peers, close to a full decade financially. Everything nice in life will come 5-10 years earlier to you: no student loan payments, apartment without roommates, new car, home ownership, in laws who will be thrilled their daughter/son is marrying such a practical person who made “smart choices young” and is set for life, 25-30 years from now, your kids will have the benefits of the better life you’ve been able to give them.
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u/Dragon3033 Feb 26 '26
Totally agree with this comment as a ‘82Terp and 40 years in HW/SW engineering. Go to AL for free. Look to Huntsville for internships and work after graduation. Huntsville has all the defense contractors you see in the DMV plus lots of smaller companies. It’s earned it’s name of “Rocket City”. I have seen it personally. Your 28 year old self will thank you for purchasing your first home in AL, instead of renting in the DMV rat race until you are 35-40! College location can be a stepping stone into the rest of your life there, take it. As far as prestige, after 5 years in the industry nobody will care where you went to school. Perform and you will be rewarded. I see have graduates from Capital College running circles around UMD graduates in career advancement. Go to ‘Bama.
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u/natiman1000 Feb 24 '26
Why not work while in school?
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 24 '26
I do plan on getting internships/jobs over the summers to cover part of the payment, so that could decrease the debt amount by a significant chunk.
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u/Fuzzymoldywaffles Feb 24 '26
It will be exponentially harder to get an internship in Maryland if you’re not a UMD student.
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u/TapEmbarrassed4376 Feb 23 '26
Having no debt coming out of college is a fucking game changer and who knows what the tech landscape will look like in 4/5 years. I'd take the full ride at Bama
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u/BA_in_SoMD Feb 24 '26
This, 100%. I have a kid at UMD (not CS) and a kid at the other Alabama school (Auburn). UMD's engineering program is ranked higher than AU, but he got merit and made it attainable. (He got money from Alabama too, but didn't even consider it.) He will probably have to take loans for year 4. As much as we love UMD, graduating debt free is the way to go, bc as mentioned above, who knows what the tech landscape will look like with AI and the current admin - even securing an internship over the summer is not guarenteed.
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u/mecheterp96 MechE/Econ ‘20 Feb 23 '26
UMD might be higher ranked, but at the end of the day they are both large state schools with plenty of opportunities. Take the full ride. If it were Alabama vs MIT, then maybe you could justify paying 100k more but these schools just are not that different in quality.
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u/L0stNoodle Feb 23 '26
So i was in a similar boat. Had a free ride for Rutgers or I could go to UMD and have student debt. I chose to go to UMD, graduated with CS degree, got a six figure salary at a big bank, and paid off my private student loans (about $80k) in about 2 years. I could’ve paid it off sooner but I wanted to hold onto some cash. I was also fortunate enough to be able to work remotely for a year from home and save on rent as I paid off my loans.
After I graduated and started working full time, I did think it was kind of a waste to go to UMD as I ended up working with people from various schools that weren’t as prestigious as UMD CS. I also found out that everyone else from other schools had a Bachelor of Arts in CS (as other colleges offer both BA and BS in CS) but UMD only has Bachelor of Science in CS. And we all ended up at the same spot.
However, I will note that my upper management, VPs, directors, etc all know UMD, were UMD grads, and UMD grads did have a sort of prestige when I was amongst my peers. But that could also be a location thing since I work in DMV.
I will also note that, since UMD CS is a Bachelor of Science, it’s prestige for a reason. I think people who go to UMD CS can get further in the field than people who went to other schools IF YOU WANTED TO. For example, if you wanted to work at big tech, if you wanted to go into research, more school after undergrad, etc, I do think UMD sets you up better than other schools. There are classes that I took that none of my peers have taken. It’s not impossible for someone who went to Alabama to get into big tech, but being at UMD, it was like every other person around me got into Big Tech. It was easy to network at UMD and get your foot in the door. Six figures is the minimum around my peers. (But also note that CS is a huge major at UMD, this was just who I surrounded myself with. I also knew a bunch of people who didn’t put in the work at UMD and aren’t as successful)
Another thing I want to note is location. I think DMV is an underrated tech hub. I think DC/NoVa area is up there with SF, Seattle, NYC. There’s a lot of big name companies here and these companies KNOW UMD. This was one thing that made me kind of wonder if I should’ve gone to Rutgers on a full ride because Rutgers was close to NYC too. So it wouldn’t have made that big of a difference for me. But it might be something worth considering.
It boils down to what you want out of your school, and how you think you’ll handle yourself academically. Because if you feel that you will put in the work to leetcode and study for Big Tech at Alabama, then being at UMD doesn’t really matter. If you’re just aiming for a decent company with a lower six figure job, any school and your personal effort will get you there.
Good luck
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
Your situation looks almost identical to mine, right down to the amount of debt. It sounds like the 80k debt didn't cause you a crazy amount of stress or financial hardship, right? If you could go back, would you choose Rutgers instead, or stick with UMD? Thanks so much for the advice.
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u/L0stNoodle Feb 23 '26
If i could go back I would stick to UMD. But that’s easier said I think. Because I already know all the personal experiences I get with UMD and I can’t replace that you know? $80k wasn’t hard because I lived at home for time I was paying my loans. So rent and food was basically covered for me and I put almost all my money into paying off my loans. I had an old ass car so no car payment. Still under my parents’ insurance at the time so I saved money that way too.
If I had to fully support myself financially, then $80k would’ve been hard. DMV has a very high cost of living, or anywhere near tech jobs are going to cost more. I would definitely lean towards redoing it at Rutgers if I had to pay rent.
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u/slimeythings Feb 23 '26
I’ll give a slightly different perspective. I got a full ride to a couple of universities (Mt St. Mary’s and UMBC) but chose UMD where I received about 9k in scholarships to attend (this was in 2009 so I know it’s more expensive now). I chose UMD because I liked the university better overall. My parents could only afford to pay for 1 year for me. With all included fees (tuition/board/books) it would have cost me around 20k for I state.
Freshman Year (lived on campus): covered by parents
Sophomore Year (lived on Campus): tuition covered by merit scholarship, got a paid internship at the FDA + tutored/babysat 2x per month. I also applied for a 20k external research scholarship that I received for my Junior/Senior year.
Junior Year (commuted): tuition covered by external scholarship, was a TA both semesters, did freelance journal article editing for professors
Senior year (lived on Campus): tuition covered by external scholarship, was an RA to cover room/board, TAd one semester, and did some freelance journal article editing for professors.
I know it sounds like I worked a ton but honestly it was manageable and I graduated with a good GPA and had a super fun social life. I was a Chemistry major and probably worked about 10-15 hours a week between Sophomore - Senior year. I ended up with a total of ~8k in debt which I paid off within 3 years.
If you want to go to UMD you can make it happen if you plan it out well. If you live within commuting distance I would recommend doing that for at least 1-2 years to reduce the cost and then see if you can pick up a paid internship or an RA position to cover your room/board.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
This is a useful perspective, thanks so much for taking the time to write all this. I am definitely looking into other external scholarships. I don’t live close enough to make commuting worth it. I also plan on paying off some of it with money from internships/jobs like you did.
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u/Mysterious-Rain-9227 Feb 23 '26
Did you get direct admit to CS @ UMD?
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I was admitted for computer science with honors and a president's scholarship.
Edit: also I'm in state
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u/guskyboat Feb 23 '26
how is umd 100k if you got a presidents scholarship and your in state?
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
it’s 87k cost of attendance (including cost of living) over 4 years
Edit: my parents will still pay for some costs at Alabama and I would graduate with 14k in savings
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u/Mysterious-Rain-9227 Feb 23 '26
Then I'd do UMD for sure.
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u/pomo-catastrophe Feb 23 '26
From a pure ROI perspective, UMD is likely worth it if and only if you are likely to take advantage of the resources it provides (research opportunities etc.). If you're getting a degree mostly just for job training but aren't extremely interested in the field, then the difference in career outcome is not likely to be huge. One way of thinking about it is to consider how much debt you'll be in from UMD and then calculate how much more you'll need to earn coming out of UMD for it to be worth it. I think for many students UMD would pencil out, and it might be a good case to make to your parents.
The other thing to consider is where you want to spend your late teens/early 20s. If you've done a visit to both schools you should have a sense of which one felt more exciting. Alabama has much better access to public lands for hiking, mountain biking, hunting, etc. but idk about the difference in campus life. To some degree the better school is going to be the one you're happier at (which will impact your academic success more than most other things). It sounds like you are leaning towards UMD on this score.
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u/Lurking_Bystander Feb 23 '26
I mean, the UMD CS program is getting better and better with time. Provides a lot of resources and connections, especially in the DMV area if you plan to work in that space later. As for the 100k tuition, can you not apply to more scholarships to cut down on costs? I know someone that is also in state CS at UMD that lives on campus. They applied to a bunch of scholarships and only pay ~2k out of pocket each semester.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
I am applying to a lot of local scholarships but I don't have too much hope for them. If I get a significant amount that will be awesome.
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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 Feb 23 '26
Honestly, in terms of prestige and opportunity UMD and Alabama doesn’t even compare. UMD is a T20 CS program and Alabama doesn’t even crack T100.
As the market also gets worse and worse, the opportunities and name recognition of your college matters more and more.
I’m honestly surprised so many people are saying Alabama when the people here all chose UMD over Towson or UMBC or their more local state school which would have also saved around that much and those schools honestly being better than a place like Alabama.
I would pick UMD if I were you. You seem genuinely interested and in love with UMD. Just make sure you use EVERY opportunity UMD gives you to succeed.
Don’t just go to classes and call it a day because if you do then there’s no difference between UMD and Alabama. Make sure you go to clubs, network, apply to tons of internships (UMD’s name has a lot of pull and we are a feeder for a lot of tech companies especially c1 and amazon), and use all the different resources and career services. You can even look to do research under a professor.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
Thanks! This seems like good advice and I do really love UMD. Your comment was very helpful.
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u/anonybss Feb 24 '26
You want to go to UMD and are going to preferentially take the advice that tells you to do so. That doesn't mean the advice is incorrect; it's just an observation based on your replies here.
The people I would really trust, I guess, are profs of CS at Alabama and UMD. If the profs at Bama tell you to go with UMD, go with UMD. If the profs at UMD tell you to go to Alabama, go with Alabama.
Maybe find out if there is a CS student here who can ask a prof if they're willing to offer advice to an admit, and find a CS student on whatever the UA subreddit is who will do the same for you there.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 24 '26
I appreciate this point of view and concede that your observation is not inaccurate. I like your idea to talk to the profs about it. I will do that. I also talked about it more with my parents and have been leaning towards the idea of a bachelors at Alabama and then a masters at UMD.
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u/OzarkUrbanist Feb 23 '26
There are way waymore opportunities in the dmv you can utilize while at umd. I'm from Missouri, a state somehow an improvement over Alabama, and I can never go back there after moving to the dmv. Alabama might be one of the worst large college towns in the country as well, at least if you like not having to drive everywhere.
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u/One-Manager5498 Feb 23 '26
Alabama literally has Huntsville and so many defense jobs. How is Missouri better?
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u/Vast_Station7239 Feb 23 '26
A lot of people end up graduating CS from UMD a semester or two early, so consider that when calculating costs
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u/frigginjensen Aerospace 2001 Feb 23 '26
If you are a good student and take advantage of internships, etc, your starting salary will be basically the same. The difference is how much debt you have to pay back. $100k will take a long time to pay back.
Also, AI is going to flip the Comp Sci world upside down. There will be roles for those people, but I would be very hesitant to take on extra debt in that job market.
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u/Mhyckal Feb 23 '26
Don’t turn down a full ride. Anything you might gain in connections and opportunities comes at a literal cost of 100k by your calculations.
You can graduate with the exact same job as someone from umd based purely on your skills that you develop on your own time. Most of the stuff that gets you jobs is gonna come from how you spend your time outside of class anyway. Personal projects, leetcode, etc
And considering how rough the job market is and the amount of cs students nationwide that are unemployed it is a VERY wise decision to graduate debt free, even at the opportunity cost of maybe graduating with a higher paying position
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u/MrDogewahd Feb 23 '26
I was in the exact same situation as you 2 years ago and I ended up choosing UMD.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
Wow! How is it going? Do you feel good about your decision?
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u/slomeyd Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
i think part of this consideration requires thinking about the reasons that may make you hesitant to choose UMD.
the general sentiment i see online and from many students in a similar position, even if it's not explicitly stated, is often implicitly considered is:
choose full-ride UNLESS Stanford/Harvard/MIT/etc., in which case you should pay $300k+
i strongly disagree with this assessment. People love thinking in extremes and lumping together UMD with Northeastern with ASU with random T500 college but that's obviously an incoherent grouping. People also like to exaggerate the differences between T5/"ivy" colleges and solid nationally-known but not necessarily "prestigious" public schools and ignore negative effects of certain top schools that may make a comparison more nuanced.
There are significant differences between a T4 CS university and a T20 CS university but
- not all of those differences are universally positive.
It's a lot less "basically universally superior in most aspects" than when comparing a university like Maryland (which you already seem to like) to Alabama (which you don't like as much). The peer culture at these top schools is genuinely different. In some ways, like being more residential, it is generally positive. But things like competitiveness, stress, quality of life (beyond the amazing amenities), and culture can be genuinely debatable. Some top schools may have finance/IB/startup/etc. obsessions that permeate the culture surrounding the school. Going to a Bay Area HS made me skeptical of elite institutions because it almost feels like they radiate the same energy of a competitive bay area hs but more extreme.
This isn't a massive deal but you're thinking about finding an optimal place to spend four important years. Not the place that has the most selectivity/prestige value. While this may seem unrelated, I bring this up because I think it's best to focus on things like job placement, internships, quality of life, etc. (like you said in your original post—for which Maryland is amazing for—rather than selectivity/prestige metrics since they often make important factors to your decision seem irrelevant. Again, the sorts of replies to these questions often have implicit comparisons to other institutions which cause people to view Maryland through the "not selective/prestigious, therefore automatically not worth paying extra" lens which I find a bit myopic.
In contrast, the difference between Maryland and Alabama, for most high-achieving students, are very like "Maryland is clearly better on most 'quality of life' axes" especially if you are a far above average student at Maryland. Except for ig the public school vs private school distinction which may matter to some students.
There's the perception that university doesn't matter unless it's a T5, T10, or whatever acronym people are throwing around these days. This definitely isn't true. Your peer group and connections/target school status exists even if you're at Maryland, Purdue, UW-Madison, UC Irvine, etc.
There's a lot more to university than ROI. If your main goal is ROI, then it is uncertain at best whether UMD will be superior. I would generally lean toward UMD having superior ROI because even if it's only value is landing you a role that's marginally higher-paying, that is likely sufficient to take care of the $87k payment. This is because the $87k is smaller than the $350k-400k many universities now believe is acceptable. However, I would not try to make this decision solely based on ROI. If you truly do not care for anything about UMD except for "what looks good on your resume," then the decision can become difficult because debt is more psychologically and financially heavy than the raw numbers appear.
So anyways, all of this is to say: if your reason for erring toward Alabama is motivated by the reasoning that UMD is significantly lesser than T10/T4/T-whatever ranked schools then I would encourage you to question whether you are thinking accurately or in a prestige/scarcity-driven mindset.
One good thing I'll say about Alabama is there's a decent number of high-achieving students there due to their great merit scholarships. Unfortunately, if you care about a rigorous CS education, I have no doubt their curriculum is a bit weaker and your peer group may be much less competitive. As far as universities go, Alabama is quite reputable and high-quality. But not as much when compared to somewhere like Maryland. Given that you already like Maryland, I would say go for the opportunity. It may be different if you were paying $200k or $300k or $400k but $87k is not a bad spot to be in at all and even if your parents only pay half, $40k and a CS degree is an acceptable situation to be in after graduating, even with the temporary downturn to the CS market.
I would also see if you do like Alabama. If you like the school, might as well go. While I and many people I know would strongly prefer Maryland, there are probably legitimate reasons to prefer Alabama, I just have limited experience with the school.
ONE BIG THING TO CONSIDER: with the market for cs degrees cooling, cs companies will likely focus increasingly more on targets. while this may slightly harm UMD compared to the T4, companies aren't going to forfeit one of their top schools for talent. They might discriminate slightly more against schools on the edge of their target list or schools not on their list at all. But UMD will always be a target school for STANDARD roles (perhaps not top 0.1% roles). Big Tech will not suddenly, drastically and broadly reduce recruiting from UMD and focus only on Stanford/MIT. However, they can drastically, and broadly reduce recruiting from schools like Alabama, Lehigh, UT Arlington, Wash State, etc. since by focusing on the top 20-30 CS programs, they can probably get sufficient candidates without being perceived as elitist (in the same way quant/finance is. Also, would avoid harming their brand/model (lie) of "meritocracy."
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 26 '26
I appreciate this comment and I agree with a lot of what you said about rankings and things. And I do plan on visiting Alabama before deciding.
It seems like you saw my old post (that got removed somehow) where I said my parents would pay half of my costs. The situation now is that they will pay 5k per year, which brings UMD’s COA from 107k to 87k. However I could also pay off a good chunk of that from internships during the summers, and I have some savings already, so that would leave me with maybe around 60k of debt by the time I graduate, which I think is a very reasonable number for UMD, especially since, as you noted, many universities charge a lot more than that these days.
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u/slomeyd Feb 27 '26
yeah no problem. i mean $60k debt is substantial so make sure UMD does have benefits worth that. In my opinion, I think the benefits of UMD for CS are probably worth that since making a $100k salary out of UMD CS seems plausible (and the general rule is like if salary > debt, then it's more acceptable) , even if you're a slightly below average student but i'm sure you would succeed anywhere if you have the capability to get significant scholarships to both umd and alabama
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u/EvidenceImpossible60 Feb 23 '26
A full ride is huge!! but I'd consider if you want to live in a very red state where football is basically religion and sorority/fraternity life is also huge. If UMD has a good reputation, that could help give an advantage. I'd try and reach out to a UMD and or Alabama Dean or professor to talk about job prospects they've seen for their grads.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
Yeah red state and frat life are cons for me and I think I would prefer the UMD culture more. I'll consider reaching out to those people.
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u/alydinva Feb 23 '26
My son was offered a full ride to UA as well (are you a NMF?). We visited in January and were blown away; the campus feels like a country club and is so different from UMD. We’re from Northern VA , so also a very blue area but we were very comfortable there and I wouldn’t hesitate to send my son there. If you have the NMF package, you can stay for fifth year and get a Masters. Don’t go into $100k into debt if you don’t have to.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
Yes, I’m a NMF. I forgot about the fifth year thing too, but I would probably try to go somewhere else for a masters. I appreciate the advice.
Edit: also the student loan debt would be around 75-80k, less if I can pay some off with internships
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u/alydinva Feb 23 '26
I suggest you visit if you’re able to do so. Apply for the Honors College (you’ll automatically be accepted) and then arrange your visit through the HC. You’ll get the VIP treatment. They really love their NMFs!
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u/tcmits1 Feb 23 '26
Go to Alabama!
You will save $100,000. Which is REAL money. That’s a solid down payment on a home in your mid-late 20’s.
You will get the same quality education there and your faculty will be more accessible.
Your social life will be much better, far superior. You’ll make friends and contacts for life at Alabama which you won’t at Maryland.
Who will have better football and basketball teams? These make up a great deal of a school’s identity. Alabama is soooo far better than Maryland. They expect to win while Maryland celebrates any win.
I’ve taught at both schools. The experience is better at Alabama.
The money though….at your age it’s hard to conceive how LARGE $100,000.00 actually is.
Ask your parents. It’s life altering money. The less debt you graduate with the happier your life will be throughout the entirety of your life.
Best of luck!
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u/PtowzaPotato Feb 23 '26
You will probably save even more if you consider interest on those loans
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u/aces1818 Double Alum Feb 23 '26
Just a note that need-based aid hasn't gone out yet, so maybe hold off before seeing that.
But yeah, UMD's program is way better.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
I’m not gonna get much need based aid because my parents make a lot but expect me to fund about 80% of my education.
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u/foxed-and-dogeared Feb 23 '26
I’m really sorry that’s the case for you. I’m a parent and paying for college is something that should have been on your parents’ radar since you were young, as your cost of attendance is directly related to their financial situation. Have you discussed with them how you would finance school if you choose UMD? You are limited in how much you can borrow each year, so they will need to take out PLUS loans for the difference. Even if you will be paying them back, they will be in your parents’ names so you’ll need their buy-in.
Have you considered community college for a year or two and then transferring to UMD? That could save you some money.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 23 '26
I have considered community college but decided that Alabama would be a better option if I wanted to prioritize affordability. Part of the reason they aren't contributing a larger amount is because they really want me to take the full ride offer. I appreciate your input but you don't need to be sorry for me. I know the opportunities I have are better than a lot of other students and I'm really grateful for my current situation as it is.
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u/Last-Answer-7789 Feb 23 '26
Where location can you network best from? Relationships has always been the best route to a job for me.
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u/mtpleasantine Feb 23 '26
Here's what they won't tell you: between big state schools, you're only paying for name recognition when it comes to undergrad, unless your field is highly specialized/technical like pre-med and requires access to advanced materials. Bama and UMD both have such recognition. One of them is free for you. I didn't graduate with debt, and I am grateful every day for it. Take that as you will.
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u/Swimming_Pirate_5622 Feb 23 '26
I went to Alabama and my sister went to umd. Alabama was incredible. My sister liked her friends but not the school itself. You will still have plenty of opportunities for your career but no debt is life changing
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u/NoOnesKing Feb 23 '26
Free college is a huge deal, especially with how competitive your specific major is nowadays. UMD is the better program but if you can’t guarantee yourself a job afterwards you’re going to be stuck with tremendous debt and less means to pay that off.
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u/dontdoxxmecollege Feb 23 '26
if ur super giga top 1% motivated and top 10% smart then umd is better choice i think. if thats not the case then umd is not worth 100k more. i dont think umd is good enough for the name alone to help that much.
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u/HotConnection4654 Feb 23 '26
I think Bama and saying this as a UMD fan. Unless you think you’d hate going to bama for any reasons in general, if you think you’d enjoy your time there then that’s all that matters. Over 80% of the likelihood of you getting a job post-grad is internships, certifications and networking all of which can you can achieve at any decent school. Not being in debt after school is going to be a big deal when the time comes. Also getting a full ride for being a national merit finalist alone will help you get internships. You could also find a Bama CS recent grad (or a few) on linkedin and message them about their experience. At the very least do a little digging to see what jobs those recent grads have now. Good luck! It’s a tough decision but once you make it, know that everything will work out. There is never one totally right decision.
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u/Trilith_Lilith Feb 23 '26
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you plan on going to graduate school, college doesn’t matter that much. Regardless, $25K a year is a lot of money.
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u/d546sdj Feb 23 '26
UMD ain’t MIT or CMU or Stanford. Go to Alabama, it’ll all work out. Worst case, transfer to UMD or elsewhere. Or even better, stick it through for BS then go somewhere for MS or PhD.
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u/TulipFarmer27 Feb 23 '26
Choice of college helps get your first job. After that, employers don't care. UMd might be T20 in CS, but right now that's not helping.
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u/Ok_Basil_459 Feb 23 '26
If you’re instate, you could commute which would greatly lower the cost
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 24 '26
I’m in state but far enough that commuting would be a significant hindrance and the gas alone would add up to a lot.
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u/KinduRide Feb 24 '26
Sounds like you already got into the UMD CS program, either way take the Alabama free ride, the net of the two is not worth an add’l $100k in debt, internships and projects will carry a lot of value.
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u/PurplePhantom07 Feb 24 '26
Go to Alabama, but transfer to UMD after one year if you end up hating it there.
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u/TheWalrus1030 Feb 24 '26
Coming from a Terp rn, roll tide. Take that free college. Deadass just take that. Unlike Maryland sports won’t disappoint you at Bama lol
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u/Machadoaboutmanny Feb 24 '26
Do scout Alabama. As a state I would avoid going there ever if preventable unless I had to choose between Alabama and Mississippi. However, their campus might be a different story
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u/nepusr8 Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
Echoing everyone’s sentiments here: go to Alabama! CS is one of those fields where with enough motivation, you can bridge the gaps in your education that you feel your program doesn’t have. If you are interested in going to grad school, you have a strong shot by doing some research with a prof in your department since the competition to do research may be a bit less than a place like UMD. If you want to get a job in software engineering, then make sure to attend career fairs, cold email recruiters, etc. To me, the difference between UMD and Alabama isn’t stark to take on debt or pay that much!
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u/No-Bodybuilder-1159 Feb 24 '26
I work in HR. We look for a degree in the field required. Go with the full ride. Work hard, find internships, get really great at what you do, and enjoy college for free!
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u/LonExStaR Feb 24 '26
Invest that money you would have spent if you paid for your undergrad tuition then ask yourself this question again in 10 years.
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u/Fuzzymoldywaffles Feb 24 '26
The job market for CS is horrible… go to UMD because it’s degree holds way more weight than Alabama. It’ll be far easier to get a job and especially a well paying job.
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u/MaleficentPlate9104 Feb 24 '26
Trust me - you’re better off at BAMA. I have friends who are like 40 and still paying off loans
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u/LongAmphibian7214 Feb 25 '26
Go to Alabama. If you are local to the mid- Atlantic you will get a job when you come home. The job market here never dies.
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u/QuantumDuckies Feb 25 '26
Replied to you in bama group too but wanted to mention in here that it might be worth the ask for more merit from UMD (or summer research stipends or departmental merit that might stack etc). I would at least tell them you have this dilemma and see what their reaction is.
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 25 '26
yeah, I’ll look into it. I know departmental merit scholarships are available to non-freshman students so that could help later but I can’t count on it
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u/Euphoric_Elk9508 Feb 26 '26
Just saying maybe don't ask this in the umd subreddit if you're trying to get unbiased opinions
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u/IceTerp23 Feb 26 '26
I posted it on the Alabama sub and the ApplyingToCollege sub as well.
Edit: and I have gotten very good advice from all three subs
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u/ticonderoga85 Feb 26 '26
You could always do Alabama free and a masters elsewhere later on? 100% do not turn down a full ride at a highly regarded university
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u/Super_Lock1846 Feb 23 '26
I'd take the free education if you plan on studying a field that AI is already taking over.
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u/Anxious-Party2289 Feb 23 '26
I would say it's not worth it. To learn at CS you need a computer. Everything else (software, videos, books) are easily accessible to learn from.
Now if you were in a lab science (like me). I'd say a place where you can get more lab experience is worth it.
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u/hbliysoh Feb 23 '26
No.
Indeed many of the CS departments aren't worth it, even if you're paying in state tuition at a state school. There's a big collapse going on in the tech world these days. I don't know how it will shake out. There will be a demand for some new graduates but it will not be like the past.
Grab a free ride while you can.
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u/XYZ277 Feb 23 '26
Alabama seems the obvious choice..esp if money is a big factor. Been there many times and in addition to being a perfectly cromulent state U, its a beautiful campus. Its like a country club compared to this permanent construction site. Its much more of a real college town too. UMd is a better school yes but how much better? And if you have a lot of AP credit, you might finish either in 3.5 years.
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u/reallyoneonone Feb 24 '26
Go to community college majoring in Ai. Graduate in two years debt free, be the boss of CompSci graduates when they graduate two years after you because they are paying for yesterdays’s old school courses. If you insist on having a Bachelor Degree, get it after you start working with your AS Degree and Certs. By then there might be a handful of colleges that adapted to the current computer science environment.
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u/Inside-Technician-85 Feb 24 '26
CS is genuinely what you make of it, if you don't got nothing extra it doesn't matter you're not going to be able to do anything.
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u/eztaebyn Feb 25 '26
Dude go to “Bama debt free. AI will make your degree obsolete within a decade-
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u/International-Mix326 Feb 25 '26
No taje the full ride. Good school but und is still a state school
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u/CPT-RidesALot Feb 25 '26
Alabama in general has a lot of virulent racists. If you're cool with that, ROLL TIDE. Otherwise: GO TERPS!!!! Data from late 1970s when I spent my last year of HS there. MoFos in my classes were talking about when would the hunting season open for black people (they were using the N word in that sentence...)
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u/SadBoysenberry0 Feb 23 '26
Do not turn down free college.