Hi All. I am Kiran Ghosh an architect and researcher from India. I have applied for my graduate degree in planning across US for fall 2020. I have been accepted into UC Berkeley but have not received any funding. The college is too expensive for me but I am applying to external scholarships to see possibilities of affording it. I have also gotten into UIUC (which is more affordable) and have received limited funding. I should be able to afford it if I max out on my loan and rigorously look for RA/TA positions. I have been accepted into a dual degree (Master in City and Regional Planning with MS in GIS Technology) at Georgia tech (which makes it as expensive as Berkeley but I needed a STEM designated course). I am yet to hear from Georgia Tech regarding funding. Finally, Rutgers has provided considerable funding (100% Tuition). While all these colleges are great, as per my understanding UC Berkeley and Rutgers outranks the other two with respect to planning colleges. However, I cant afford Berkeley at the moment and Rutgers does not seem to have an overall college ranking as Georgia Tech and UIUC. It would be great to know from you all your thoughts on the same. Should I go ahead with Rutgers? Should I focus on arranging the deficit funding for UIUC or Georgia Tech?
Go wherever the funding is in this time of uncertainty…
Borrowing as little as possible.
Money is a very important factor
The decision depends on your earnings after graduating. In the US planing jobs do not pay a lot, so most people are wary of debt for that degree.