I have to choose between 3 different graduate schools for a Master’s degree (M.S) in Statistics. Rutgers University-New Brunswick, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Montclair State University. I calculated the costs of each of these graduate schools: (Rutgers: approximately $54,818 including tuition, housing and fees for 4 semesters. Not including meal plan.
The thing is that I got admitted to Rutgers as a Non-degree / Non-matriculated student, meaning that, I’m not going to get a degree after completing the program. The reason the admissions committee gave me was because, “[my] verbal GRE score was not high enough to do a regular admission. Furthermore, I am lacking a prerequisite course—Linear Algebra”. Anyways, being non-degree / non-matriculated also means that I wouldn’t qualify for financial aid. However, I can switch over to full time / matriculated status if I get a B or higher in my first 12 credits. Obviously this greatly concerns me.
For Montclair State University, the cost will be significantly lower because I don’t need housing or a meal plan. It would be $22,257.
For NJIT, the cost would be approximately $35,970 for 4 semesters. (same applies to NJIT, I could just commute and save a lot of money).
This might be a hard question to answer, but which Graduate Program in Statistics would be the best in your opinion in terms of ranking, curriculum, and preparation for a career in Statistics. I’m leaning towards NJIT or Montclair since they are closer to home and are matriculated programs. The classes seem to be the same, but I’m looking for a second opinion.
I know that Rutgers is probably the most prestigious out of these universities, but I am wondering about the other two. How are the respective Mathematical Science / Statistics departments of those 3 graduate schools? If anyone is / was a graduate Statistics student at any of these schools I would appreciate it if you could describe your experience and or provide some information about the programs.
My question is would it be a wise choice to go into so much debt to go to a prestigious school such as Rutgers (as a non-degree /non-matriculated student) rather than going to a less prestigious / more cost efficient school such as Montclair State University or NJIT (as a full time / matriculated student)? I have about $20,000 saved up to pay for graduate school. Thank you in advance for your help and attention. I am providing additional information in an Excel file. It shows the required curriculum, professors, costs and descriptions.