<p>Update: contacted Stanford and told them what Cornell offered me and that I felt forced to choose Cornell because of the financial situation. They upped the offer to $16,000. </p>
<p>I also looked up the expense budget for both Cornell and Stanford, and they’re actually quite alike.
Stanford:
Office of Graduate Admissions - Estimated Expense Budget | Student Affairs
Cornell:
Cost of attendance | Cornell Graduate School
(through an official letter, Cornell estimated the total cost for me at 63,000)</p>
<p>As it stands, Cornell would cost me $38,000 while Stanford would be $54,000 (total expenses minus financial aid). </p>
<p>At Stanford, they told me I could spread the program over 4-5 quarters and receive TA the second year (TA would be 8000-15000 aid for one quarter). However, after a quick calculation for a 4 quarter plan (1x15 + 3x10 credits), I came up with a cost of 47,000-54,000, depending on how much TA I’d get. So basically, it wouldn’t make much difference, unless I get a full TAship (50%).</p>