Hi people, Im a prospective student and I just ot accepted for engineering at mac.

Im almost positive I want to come here, but ive notciced mac scholarships dont seem to be as valuable as at other schools.

Ive got an 89% average atm, so I know I will get the 1000 dollar scholarship renewable for 2 years.

However, at U of T I got a 1000 dollar scholarship renewable for 4 years, as well as a 3000 dollar one-time scholarship for engineering specifically.

So it ends up being $4000-7000 at U of T compared to a $1000-2000 at McMaster.

So I was just wondering why macs scholarships seem to be lower than other school's....do students at mac get any free bonuses?...are living expenses and tuition at mac generally cheaper than other schools?

Or is it just that mac is a REALLY nice school and doesn't have to try as hard to get people in? (cuz to be honest, i would still rather go to mac than U of T even if it ends up costing me an extra 5 grand)

U of T tuition rates and living expenses are going to be higher than going to school at Mac....

For tuition:

UT Applied Science and Engineering $8,452
Mac Engineering 1 $7,212

http://www.prospective.utoro nto.ca...rs/Tuition.htm
http://www.mcmaster.ca/bms/student/p..._level_ 1.pdf

and living expenses... i can't find an exact amount... but U of T is in TO, so I'd say its a safe assumption to think that living expenses are cheaper at Mac.

Ok, thanks for the info.

I guess the fact that tuition at U of T is gonna cost me over $4000 more in the long run it kind of negates the scholarship lol.

One more thing....this info sheet seems to show cheaper tuition fees for engineering then the one you posted...which one should I take as accurate?

http://www.mcmaster.ca/bms/pdf/tuition0708.pdf

Toronto also has more scholarships because they have much, much more alumni. Alumni give the school money and scholarships.

UofT was founded in 1827, while Mac was founded in 1887. There is sixty years of difference. UofT currently has 63 000 students enrolled, while Mac has 18 000. If the ratios from now are anything similar to years past...UofT should have nearly four times the alumni that Mac has.

As for tuition...always take the higher amount. It changes from year to year, usually on the upwards side.

If you compare the cost of res, Mac is cheaper. A single room in the suite-style residence with an extra large, full meal plan (normally in suite or apartment style you get a reduced plan, because you have a kitchen) at Mac is 9350. This is as expensive as you can possibly get, according to the 2007-2008 prices. At UofT (St. Mike's...I don't know about any others) in their most expensive single room with 19 meals a week it's 9895. http://housing.mcmaster.ca/Residence...ions/Fees.html
http://www.utoronto.ca/stmikes/residence/fees.html

Mac also provides a U-pass (unlimited bus transit from Sept-April as part of your student fees). At UofT you have to pay for your own transportation.

Hi J-Met! Thanks for posting on MacInsiders, and a good question you bring up about scholarships.

I think students need to take a lot into consideration when trying to compare universities based on fees. Comparing entrance scholarships just isn't enough... you need to weigh in the cost of tuition, housing, food on campus, transportation, and overall how prestigious your degree will be once you graduate.

McMaster may not have a high entrance scholarship compared to UofT, but maybe there's reasoning behind it. Tuition is lower. Plus, the fact that you're comparing a university in Toronto vs. a university in Hamilton is a huge difference in terms of cost of living, especially off-campus.

In the end, take into consideration that McMaster is very well known for it's engineering program. I think you have to look at both programs and decide based on what type of education you want, as that's what your ultimately coming here for. Not that UofT's program is worse, I'd have to do some research on that, but in general you want to pick the university you feel you're education will be the best, and your degree that you dedicate 4 years of your life to will be something you're proud of and attracts potential employers. I know from friends in engineering that McMaster definitely provides that.

P.S. just a sidenote, there are also in-course scholarships which you don't have to apply for and are based on marks. So if you do try really hard in your first year and get high marks, you'll most likely get a bonus scholarship.

I know I received at least one of these in my program and it was worth $1000.

http://sfas.mcmaster.ca/incourse.html