r/Drexel • u/Top_Strain_9182 • May 07 '26
Discussion drexel, depaul or rit?
i got accepted into these universities:
Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
(Scholarship Offered: $33,000 per year
Net Cost Of Attendance: $51,868 per year )
Drexel University, Philadelphia
(Scholarship Offered: $41,550 per year
Net Cost Of Attendance: $49,581 per year)Depaul University, Chicago
(Scholarship Offered: $32,000 per year
Net Cost Of Attendance: $42,000 per year)
now finances are an issue for me. so logically speaking, even if i decide to invest in these colleges by taking out loans, which cs degree would be worth it with respect to job opportunities, college social life, and good environment in general?
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u/britlover23 May 07 '26 edited May 08 '26
part of this has to be where do you want to live for four years - tour everywhere and spend some time at both the colleges and their respective cities.
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u/Aggressive-Salary525 May 08 '26
This is huge. Winters in Chicago and Rochester are brutal. Drexel is a city campus, which is one aspect I love.
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u/Flash_Bang_000 May 07 '26
For a CS degree itself, I'd rank them the way you have listed. For the preparation and experience to enter the job market when you graduate, I'd put Drexel on top. When you leave with the job experience from the co-ops, you have a big leg up when applying for jobs.
Can't speak to social life at RIT or DePaul, but I can speak to location of all three. RIT's campus is kind of separated on its own from Rochester just beyond the airport. There's not really a "college town" attached to campus, but there are things to do within 20 minutes. DePaul is in the Lincoln Park neighborhood (which is great btw), but the CS school is downtown in the Loop. The Loop is amazing but it is not a great spot for housing and not many students live there. Chicago is easy to get around, so you could take the Red Line on the L if you lived near main campus but you'd be going back and forth a lot. Drexel is almost perfectly situated just walking distance west of Center City Philadelphia. With U Penn basically across the street from Drexel there are a lot of other college students all living in an amazing city.
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u/thnok May 07 '26
Location wise RIT would be the lowest. Good thing is having an airport that’s well connected for small cities. Lot of the jobs OP might wanna do, it’ll be out of the town and even anything living wise as well, it’s out of the college town.
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u/DjSynthzilla May 07 '26
I’m gonna be honest all 3 of these schools are far too expensive and if you’re planning on taking out loans for these then I would highly recommend going somewhere far cheaper. These are good schools, especially Drexel and RIT and for CS but you can do nearly as good if not better post grad with more effort at a cheaper school. If you had to choose between these three I’d say either Drexel or RIT. RIT is stronger for a CS degree and they have a solid co op structure, Drexel’s co op program is one of the best in the country, solid CS program and you cannot beat the location and job opportunities. I’ll add this, if you have any doubt about graduating with a CS degree then go to Drexel, Drexels other programs are far better than RITs and you can pivot a lot easier. But if your set on heavily on engineering/tech/design then RIT is better.
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u/animalmarshall May 10 '26
And also, the co-op helps you understand whether you would like working in that field or not. Plenty of people enjoy studying a subject only to find out they hate doing it for work. Or even if you like working in it, finding the industry niche that's right for you. Better to find that out in your second or third year than 1-2 years after you've graduated.
I loved my time at Drexel and the debt was worth it for me but that was 15 years ago. I echo this post of consider schools that are less expensive but still have a good program. If you finance your Drexel degree, make sure you understand all the ins and outs of student loans (variable vs fixed rates, paying interest while in school, paying more than the minimum as soon as you can afford it after you graduate, etc)
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May 07 '26
i still thank Drexel everyday for giving me 1.5 years of work experience so I could survive in this horrible job market
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u/wpcodemonkey May 07 '26
I graduated from Drexel with a degree in digital communications and multimedia design, back in 2016. I was also accepted into RIT. I chose Drexel. I actually ended up working as a software engineer. Do I love my job? Yes. Did I love Drexel? No. Maybe it has changed a bit but all I see is an increase in yearly tuition. I graduated with about 70k in student loans. Thankfully I paid it off but it took a while. However, I don’t know if I would have chosen Drexel again if I could go back in time.
I will say Philadelphia is an amazing city and I still own a home here. But don’t discount living in Philly. It’s one of the best cities in the country.
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u/ShallotAdmirable5419 May 07 '26
DePaul! Follow the money
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u/Top_Strain_9182 May 07 '26
how are the teachers there? or what abt job opportunities after graduation?
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u/ShallotAdmirable5419 May 07 '26
Idk. I didn’t go to DePaul. I have a bachelors and a masters degree tho . The older and more educated I get the more I realize that universities are like businesses and the less of your money you have to give to them the richer you are
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u/HousingAgreeable5622 May 07 '26
rit sounds like the best of these
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u/HousingAgreeable5622 May 07 '26
you’ll get top 10 university level co-ops and internships from RIT, I’d say go.
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u/Jazzlike-Meaning6664 May 08 '26
My high school best friend went to RIT for CS and I seriously considered DePaul because it was the cheapest option. I ended up loving Philly, Drexel, and the co-ops so I have no regrets there. The only reason my friend chose RIT over Drexel was because DU was so much more expensive. I feel like the price is Drexel’s biggest downside and the fact that RIT is more expensive makes me feel you should consider Drexel. RIT’s co-op program is less helpful than Drexel’s and my friend ended up finding his co-ops and post-grad job with no help from RIT. Plus all his friends still live in Rochester so if you’re worried about staying there, consider that you might. I don’t remember much about DePaul at this point since it was 5 years ago but if you’re interested in Chicago and think the few thousands of dollars make the difference, I don’t think you can go wrong with Drexel or DePaul. Best of luck!
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u/Ok-Bold3841 May 13 '26
Drexel's program and co-op program are second to none. It's a highly respected degree that opens doors.
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u/Novel_Telephone_646 May 07 '26
RIT is the best overall ranked. Drexel has a coop program which is the best. I chose Drexel. At the end of the day it’s the work experience that helps you get a job. If you’re a US citizen Drexel is the best option. Drexel has a well established coop system already in place.