That’s a fair point too - and you should be able to ask up front.
Is Rice’s price locked in until you finish or only until you finish four years total.
You should ask.
Is the Rice name, on paper or in US News, better. Yes.
Will it matter whether you go to industry or get a PhD - unlikely.
If the cost of CWRU wasn’t an issue, would you have applied to transfer or are you happy there?
In some ways, I wonder why you went to CWRU to begin with - you could have found a cheaper, late option to pivot to up front. Doesn’t matter now - but I’ guess I’m wondering - how much of this is money vs. - I got into a perceived better school? Any other choices besides Rice?