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What's the tuition nowadays at each?

Suffolk is around 60k. My kid got an aide package that would cost about 40k a year. Not sure if it is worth it.

I'm graduating from Suffolk this spring. I transferred after my sophomore year, so I've had a unique experience. Suffolk has always been very welcoming, especially if you end up living in the dorms. I've always lived off campus and struggled to make friends but people in general are really nice and friendly. I'm in the CAS but take some classes in the Business school and I've never really had a problem. If you have a scholarship or are able to afford it, it's a great experience, but I think college is ultimately what you make of it. Wherever you go, you can find friends and opportunities for work after if you seek it out. Best of luck!

Whichever lets you graduate with as little debt as possible. If both are free or cost the same then I guess pick Suffolk for location and student life - as umass boston is a commuter school where it's hard to make friends. I've always viewed Suffolk as a fall-back school for rich kids.

Suffolk. It’s right in downtown Boston with everything in walking distance.

Umass is kinda far, red line is utter shit, rush hour commute will suck ass. And if you plan to live in the city and commute to umass for classes, scheduling classes gonna suck.

UMass Boston undergrad and Suffolk Law. I suggest UMass Boston.

Please please please go to Suffolk instead.

Transfered into UMB and have had nothing but problems, have not met a single student or professor that is in any way happy with this school.

Ceiling panels literally falling down, an entire building has an excess of carbon dioxide that makes people sick so much so that the tours they send through the place skip the building entirely. Who tell the people they aren't going there because "it's exactly like the other buildings so why bother" LMAO.

The different buildings are covered every few days with hundreds of posters accusing the president and dean of liberal arts of being anti-Black and racist. That doesn't include the posters put up by the grad students TAing that mention how UMB pays them a couple hundred bucks to do their jobs, professors putting up union signs about how UMB is breaking labor laws...

They have many good people to come in and do talks...and only bother to send out emails and put up posters THE DAY OF THE EVENT. I've literally seen them put up posters for events that HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED lmao.

Don't expect to get anything done at this college. Anyone who has been able to do anything openly admits that they've essentially had to fight this beaurocracy at every single step of the way. For example, I still don't have a program advisor, even after multiple semesters, because the sole person who's job it is to do that never bothers responding to anyone. Which speaking to others, she's notoriously known for doing. Literally sends out emails to apply to internships a few hours before the application is due.

The fact that taxpayer dollars go to fund this is appalling to me. It is a shame because they have some excellent professors, but quite honestly so does every school in Boston. Whatever money you may think you are saving on the sticker price is NOT worth it, you will have to fight every step of the way to get even the most basic things done. I genuinely now wish how much better the rest of my life may have planned out if I went to a better school.

They’re not in the same category, really. SU is a good private college, held back by a commuter reputation and the lack of a central campus experience, but has an excellent cadre of professors and instructors drawn from the highly-educated and successful population around it. It’s very connected.

UMB is a functional, basic state college, offering higher education to a broader swath of society. It’s solid. If you choose to go there, you’ll do fine, though it may be a harder functional grind based on location and bureaucratic reputation. (SU also has a bureaucracy that can frustrate, in my experience.)

To a large extent, college gives you what you put in. You can succeed and thrive at either place if you put in the work. UMB is much less expensive. If that’s a factor, it’s a very real difference and not to be ignored.

At the end of the day, it’s nice to have a choice. Congratulations on your acceptances!

I went to Suffolk for a year before transferring. Many people will say the same thing. I used to joke we were the biggest feeder school for Northeastern and BU; it seemed like everyone wanted to transfer there.

I actually loved Suffolk as the dorms were really nice (2/3 buildings are amazing) and I met most of my best friends there. It’s in a fantastic location in the city whereas UMB is a bit farther out. The class sizes were really small which was a huge plus because it meant your professors probably knew you, sort of like HS but in a more chill way.

What is your intended major? I went for CS and would not have recommended it at all at the time (maybe it’s changed in the past 4 years) but the Business school is solid.

I didn't go to school in Boston. But I can say things about the locations. Suffolk is as downtown as you can get. So, Boston Common and Beacon Hill are kind of part of your campus. UMass Boston is right next to Carson Beach - a bit of a walk from the JFK/UMass T stop.

I’ve been to this campus a few times for conferences and I got the same vibe you’re describing from my short visits. I just didn’t really want to be around campus. And that feeling is more important than you’d think.

Freshman year is a difficult time and for students to make it through, it’s important that it’s a place that feels welcoming and they can make a community of friends. It seems to have more of a community college vibe, which could make that difficult for a traditional first year student.

Another problem with UMass Boston is how heavily they rely on part time faculty. Every college uses some, but UMass Boston relies on them more than other schools in the area. Some part time faculty are incredible teachers, but they are paid very little so they spend very few hours in campus and are nearly always balancing multiple jobs and they have less job security so they aren’t invested in the college (and might not be there when you need a recommendation later). I was part time faculty for a year (elsewhere) and it was awful.

All boils down to your finances and major really. I graduated from UMB(picked it over Northeastern, UConn, UMass Amherst, Brandeis)and will recommend it to anyone who is a science major, nursing major, exercise and science major. None of the schools I picked it over were offering me any real financial aid and I have I regrets at all.

>SU is a good private college,

Is it? Not to be rude (and im the first to diss my own school), but I thought of it as a below average private school especially for the Boston area. But with typical private school prices it's basically the archetype of a school I'd avoid (pricey and mediocre)

Not to say it's not better than UMass Boston, but for the money I'd much rather go to UMB

Imo there's way too much conversation about reputation and campus experience than about cost and debt load

I'm 10 or 20 years the school you went to likely won't matter much. But the debt you still carry (or that prevented you from saving for a down-payment or retirement) will haunt you long after you leave.

If the cost of attendance is similar after aide then sure. But if you have to pay full price for Suffolk then that could potentially be the biggest mistake of your life

Are other state schools an option? I'm guessing you want to be in Boston, but umass Amherst is an upgrade over UMB while still being much cheaper than private school

I would not say it is bad, but that with Harvard, Mit, Boston University , and Northeastern in town we are spoiled for excellent colleges.

But I agree for 43,000 it does not have a lot of reputational clout.

Tufts: Am I a joke to you?

Yeah, tufts is excellent as well. As is brandeis.

Just a note, UMB has shuttle services from JFK/UMass to several different campus locations, so you don’t have to actually walk from the red line stop to school.

I went to UMass and it was an excellent experience. Most professors actually like their jobs and my program was excellent. There is also much diversity compared to SU. Please also consider the price of attending a private university versus a public one (unless you're getting a free ride). I have loans from a private university and still haunts me to this day.

When did you attend UMB?

If you are an in-state resident, there would be absolutely no reason to choose Suffolk over UMB.

You will receive the same caliber of education, for a fraction of the cost. Suffolk's Law School is great, but that's their only redeeming quality. The undergraduate college is basically an amusement park for incredibly wealthy international students who didn't have the grades to get into BU or Northeastern.

UMB has its down falls but ide say its still a very good value for an undergraduate degree.

Assuming you put in the work, you're going to get a perfectly fine education at either. But what kind of college experience do you want? UMass is going to give you the more typical college experience. Going to college downtown you don't get the campus experience, but you're right in the middle of everything and may end up not getting as involved in college-specific activities because you have so many other options.

I am currently.

From what I've seen, anyone with good things to say about the school went there years ago. Have had a professor admit to me that the school has gone super downhill since COVID hit. Partially due to COVID, but also many institutional things that just happened to occur around that time.

I am currently. HAD school today but they decided to cancel classes from 11AM on at checks watch 10AM that same day, because of the weather. If only there was some way to be able to see a day into the future to know what the weather will be! Just one example of how broken down this school is :)

From what I've seen, anyone with good things to say about the school went there years ago. Have had a professor admit to me that the school has gone super downhill since COVID hit. Partially due to COVID, but also many institutional things that just happened to occur around that time.

I attended pre-COVID so your depiction of the current situation is more accurate. That's too bad 😕

Yeah. School used to have the highest amount of Ivy League teachers outside of the Ivy Leagues themselves only a few years ago. School genuinely had a lot going for it, but IMO is an abysmal place now and absolutely not worth it. Extra debt at another school would be worth it when you consider that you aren't going to do any networking whatsoever at UMB, and I'm literally being taught stuff that I learned in the eighth grade, so you're not really learning anything of value either.

When I talk to people who used to teach and attend UMB they seem really surprised. Most of the good teachers and faculty that made that good experience have left (and also in some cases pushed out).

UMass my sister graduated from there. All of the kids are natural hustlers as opposed to their private school counterparts. Her professors all taught at Harvard too but weren’t tenured so they did UMB on the side. She ended up at Suffolk Law and does very well so I wld say save the $ on his next chapter, not undergrad.

Yes, I think it is. I mean, it’s not BU or NEU, and obviously it’s not Harvard or MIT, but it’s perfectly good and benefits from being in a city with such an educated population. I didn’t say excellent; I said good. I stand by that.

Fwiw Suffolk and umass boston are tied at 234 in the US news and world report rankings for national universities. Obviously those rankings are to be taken with a large grain of salt, but still if it were me or my kid I'd need the expensive private school to be way better than the state school to justify that cost

Personally I already think BU and NEU, at full price, are terrible values relative to their public school peers

Choose whichever is more affordable for the programs you’re looking for. Any prestige difference will be negligible so look for whatever will set you up best financially for the future.

Those rankings are silly.

I understand your point about cost. For some people, that’s a big factor; for others, it’s not relevant.

If your concern is debt the go to umb, if not Suffolk would be a cool experience based on location/dorm life. Most people never get to live in an area like that there whole lives

Apply for financial aid at both and see what they come back w. Suffolk may be slightly nicer/more fun, but not worth triple the debt.

Recovering from deep student loan debt was a serious undertaking that I wish I'd considered more, before pulling the trigger on my college decision. I fucking loved my school, but I have no doubt that there would have been a negligible difference in education quality, if I'd have chosen to go to one of the other schools I'd applied to, at half the cost, my 20's would have been a lot more comfortable.

The school wouldn't matter, but connections were made during college and the first "real job" would define OP's life for years to come.

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I got significant aid but UMass Boston/Amherst/Lowell/Dartmouth is around 30-32k on campus 16-18k off campus (instate). My cost is around 8-10k on campus after aid not including loans

cost is a factor for the 99.9% 😭

Congratulations on being admitted to both schools! A lot of people have already recommended things to think about (cost, cultural fit, academic experience). It’s important to think about what’s most important to you in your college experience. Is location more important than what the dorms are like? What classroom experience are you looking for? Once you answer those types of questions for yourself, it may be more clear which school is better for you. If you haven’t already and have the ability to visit both schools, that can be another way to learn more (and if not in person, some schools offer virtual tours or information sessions). Good luck!

What’s your financial aid like?

I went to Suffolk and lived in the dorms for 2 of my 4 undergrad years, as well as later getting an MPA at the Business School. I also worked there as a Staff member for years.

I would say it really depends on your program and trajectory. If you are trying to figure out what you want to do, go to UMASS Boston for cost and exploration and transfer elsewhere.

I was interested in a career in politics/public service and Suffolk's location, program, and connections locally were amazing. The campus is also in the heart of the city and at this point they have 4 or 5 beautiful dorms on Beacon Hill, Tremont St, City Hall Plaza, and the Theatre District.

Being within a 5-15 minute walk from City Hall, The State House, and multiple major state and federal agencies was a godsend for internships and jobs.

It was also expensive. Again there are some great programs at Suffolk - but your program needs to be a strength of the school to be worth it.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.