Which grad school should I pick?
Grad school offers force a choice between things that are hard to compare: a famous name, a funded place, a great advisor, a city you would like to live in. The decision shapes several years and sometimes the career after.
A weighted matrix lets you compare them on your own terms. Decide how much funding and fit matter before you look at the rankings again.
Open the tool with this question filled in. Two to five minutes, no account.
Start this decisionWhat should you weigh?
Five factors cover most versions of this decision. Rename them, drop the ones that do not apply, and add your own. Phrase each so a higher score is always better.
- Advisor or program fit
- People you want to work with, and the courses you would take.
- Funding
- Tuition covered, stipend against local rent, and how secure it is.
- Career outcomes
- Where graduates of this program work now.
- Location
- Cost of living, partner or family, and the city itself.
- Short program length
- Years to finish, and how often students overrun.
What does it look like worked out?
Three offers: a top-ranked program with no funding, a funded place at a mid-tier school, and a program abroad. Weights run 1 to 10, scores 1 to 5.
| Factor | Weight | Top-ranked | Funded offer | Program abroad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advisor or program fit | 9 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Funding | 7 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Career outcomes | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Location | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Short program length | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Total | 91 | 116 | 102 |
Each total is score times weight, added down the column.
Funded offer wins by 14 points. The funded offer wins clearly, and the top-ranked program comes last. The famous name does not make up for the funding gap. Advisor fit, the heaviest row, also favours the funded place.
Where do people go wrong?
Choosing on rank alone. In research degrees especially, the advisor shapes the experience more than the school's rank.
Scoring funding without rent. A stipend that looks generous in one city can be tight in another. Score it against local costs.
Common questions
- Should I choose a grad school for prestige or funding?
- Weigh both. Unfunded programs often mean years of debt. If the famous program still wins with funding weighted honestly, the choice is clear.
- How important is the advisor?
- For a research degree, very. Talk to the advisor's current students before you score fit.
Ready to weigh your own?
The question and starter options come filled in. Change anything. AI suggests factors; the answer comes only from your weights and scores.
Start this decision