In that case I would think the most important factor would be transfer of all credits from his foreign university to a US school. Which basically means he would need to not only choose his undergraduate university, but also his graduate university in the US to verify credit transfer. Lots of variables with that plan.

As an ME, I'd go for the AE degree in the US. Since it would be easier to get a general engineering job with an AE degree than it would be to get an AE job with an ME degree. Many engineers I work with don't have ME degrees but they end up doing general engineering stuff and not their specialty.

I'm not a fan of Texas A&M since I went to UT but it sure seems like the cost of living around a Texas university would be cheaper than Illinois or New York.

David brings up another good point, university location vs desired living location. This is important because of internships, which are huge for getting a job. Just having an internship gives a student the advantage when it comes to full time employment, but it is VERY common for companies to offer their interns full time employment. So if he goes to school near companies of interest and gets an internship, he could very likely end up settling there. There is often preference given to local universities when it comes to general hiring practices as well.

That is exactly the situation with my nephew and he has a good job where most of his classmates who got just OK grades and were not offered an opportunity to intern with anyone and don't have employment in their chosen field. There were many companies that came to his campus looking for interns but they have some pretty stiff requirements.

I disagree. If I get an applicant with a graduate degree from a great US school, I don't care where his undergrad is from. My advice is always not to worry about the undergrad school as long as it can land you into a great grad school. I know many science majors who came from small state schools and got into top schools for grad school. That's the least expensive way to get a top education IMHO. Unless you have to tell your golfing friends that your undergrad kid is going to Stanford, then of course it is important. ;)

G

Mechanical Engineers build weapon systems.

Civil Engineers build target.

Get a Mechanical Engineering degree.

Back when I was a youngin (and dinosaurs roamed the earth) we could go to a small college (for much less $$$) that had transferable credits to your university of choice.

Is that still an option?

Texas A&M is regarded as the third best AeroSpace Engineering school behind MIT and Cal Tech.

I would suggest finding a good affordable school offering Mechanical Engineering.

Yes. But usually you need to attend two years at the final university AND your grades need to be EXCEPTIONAL.

Here is one of the least expensive Engineering programs in the USA

Engineering - Houston Community College | HCC

If you are a local in Houston, TX, the cost of the program including Tuition, Fees, books, etc, is around $19,000. TOTAL!