Universities Not Far From Home

Students often think they need to put distance between home and college. As application deadlines approach, we gathered four schools near yet far from home.

Universities for students seeking to put distance between home and school all while being a short car ride away.

Deans of the colleges of Indiana University
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Is your high school senior “begging” to get out of the house, terrorizing you with threats of boarding as far away from home as possible at the start of college? You’re not alone. For many soon-to-be undergrads, seeking schools that are a significant distance from home is a huge factor.

Last week, we released a list of universities that are ideal for undecided students as well as those looking to stay in-state (tuition is significantly cheaper at most in-state universities). Now, we’ve gather the top four universities on the east coast, which is a happy medium for both parent and child seeing as the following universities are so far yet so close to home.

The University of Delaware 

UDel is a public university with a suburban feel and a medium sized number of undergrads, coming in at 18, 141. Nearly 100 percent of students live on campus during their first year as a student and remain in on-campus housing for the duration of their college years. It is local to Washington, D.C. (12 miles) as well as Philadelphia (30 miles). The top three academic programs are Business and Marketing, Social Sciences, and Engineering. Out-of-state tuition costs exceed $45,000, however the average financial aid package provided to students is about $16,000. January 15, 2016 is the application deadline for fall 2016.

The University of Maryland: College Park

The University of Maryland is a large, suburban university that is local to two busy cities–Baltimore (30 miles) and Washington, D.C. (3 miles). The totally account of undergrads is 27,056 and UMD competes in the NCAA Division I, providing lots of entertainment and camaraderie to the campus. The most popular area of study is Social Sciences, followed by Business and Marketing, and Engineering. Out-of-state costs peak at $44,507 and financial aid packages average at $13,672; roughly 76 percent of need-based students receive financial aid. January 20, 2016 is the application deadline for fall 2016.

Johnson & Wales University: Providence, R.I.

JWU is a private university with a small student body, sized at 9,173. Only 50 miles from Boston and 200 miles from New York City, Business and Marketing proves to be the top academic program. Family and Consumer Sciences and Parks and Recreation follow suit. If the potential student is seeking out a school with significant sports programs, JWU is not the ideal candidate as they do not compete in any division athletics. Because it is a private university, tuition does not differ for in-state or out-of-state students, and comes in at $45,277. There is no application deadline for the fall 2016.

Penn State University

Penn State is known for being a very large institution with 40, 541 total undergrads. PSU competes in the NCAA Division I and is ideal for any student looking to attend or participate in sporting events. Though it is not near to many major cities, it’s suburban atmosphere offers multiple museums and botanic gardens. The top three academic programs are Business and Marketing, Engineering, and Communications and Journalism. Out-of-state tuition is among the most expensive, with a price of $47, 456. Only 54 percent of financial aid needs are met and the assistance averages at $10,039. The priority application deadline for fall 2016 is Nov. 30, 2015.

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