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University of Edinburgh vs. Cardiff University for MSc in Psychology

I'm an international student. I got unconditional offer to MSc in Psychology of Mental Health at University of Edinburgh and to MSc in Psychology at Cardiff University. I don't know which one I should accept.

Edinburgh is more highly ranked in Psychology than Cardiff on the league table. It also focuses on clinical psychology, which I'm more interested in. Yet, they offer no funding schemes or scholarships. The fees are expensive (£24,000), and I heard that living costs there are also quite high.

Cardiff is less reputable. But they offer me a scholarship. They also invited me to apply for the Global Wales Postgraduate Scholarship. If everything goes well, I can greatly reduce the financial burden.

Program-wise, I prefer Edinburgh to Cardiff. But finance-wise, Cardiff is a much affordable choice.

My goal is to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology after graduation. What do you think I should accept?

Reply 1

SaxaDeans

It sounds like you need to decide what is your priority. It seems Edinburgh is your preferred option but you're worried about the cost. Think about if you can live with the impact going to Edinburgh will have on your finances/quality of life and see if you could live with it. Then do out an actual budget for yourself to get a clear idea of what you need. Then research all your options eg. working part-time, loan, etc.

Reply 2

malfoylexie

Hi there,I have exactly the same decision to make. Can I please ask where have you find out that Edinburgh is better in the league table?Also, what do you think about Cardiff offering a placement? I have also read in the Subjects description that Edinburgh's final dissertation is done in groups, whereas in Cardiff you work on the project yourself. That's more appealing to me by sound but obviously, Edinburgh is a more prestigious institution so I am not sure what to choose.