My daughter is choosing between UMass Amherst and Clemson for a BS in Industrial Engineering. We are Massachusetts residents, so the out-of-state tuition for Clemson creates roughly a $90,000 difference over four years. Clemson has a great IE reputation and campus culture, but UMass is a solid, ABET-accredited program right in our backyard. From a pure ROI perspective, does an out-of-state engineering degree from Clemson provide any actual career or networking advantage that justifies spending an extra $90k?
UMass Amherst (In-State) vs. Clemson for Industrial Engineering. Is it worth a $90k delta?
byu/neyseneM inpersonalfinance
Posted by neyseneM
9 Comments
Engineering by and large doesn’t care where you went to school. 90k difference is likely not worth it, especially when you consider the opportunity cost of paying back the 90k loan
I think it is a rare situation that warrants out of state college, especially for a relatively standardized curriculum. My son in law was accepted in state and at a quite prestigious out of state program. He stayed in state for his ECE program, then on to get a PhD in ECE (which was paid for by an assistantship). He emerged debt-free and was hired by (nearly) every electrical engineer’s dream employer in a senior role. Also, you have to ask if Clemson would still be on the radar if your daughter changes majors to something non- engineering related. It happens frequently!
Seconded that school name is not very important in engineering. It may be worth it to those in a grad program, but I would not recommend it for a bachelors. Industrial Engineering is unfortunately considered a “weak” engineering degree compared to electrical, mechanical, chemical, etc, so salaries are often lower. I would save the money
Not for Clemson, no. Cornell, MIT, or similar — maybe, since you’d have a “premium” name on your CV starting out and you’d get access to a powerful alumni network. But Clemson ain’t that.
Definitely not, not worth the extra $90k. Maybe UMich or Georgia Tech, even then it’s marginal. If her GPA is great when she finish UMass Amherst she has a good shot at some of the top IE schools.
in short, no. also, industrial engineering is not quite a coveted engineering degree. it matters little to a prospective employer if it was Umass or Clemson
Clemson absolutely does not worth the OOS tuition
Hell no. Take the instate easily
As a Umass alum, easy choice. Know multiple engineers who graduated and are doing very well for themselves. Great school, amazing campus, best food. Go U.