Masters, budget cuts, uni rank

Hey, so I wanted to apply to do a masters at Chester (MSc stem cells and regenerative medicine) but someone casually mentioned to me today that because of the financial hardship smaller (newer) university’s are currently facing, this may not be wise. I would love to go to Liverpool but unfortunately the fees are so high my options are really 1) Chester full time or 2) Liverpool part time. Do you think it’s worth doing a part time masters at a better university over full time at a poor ranking university? My long term goals are GEM A101 but I want a masters first.

Hello,
I’m studying at Chester university currently on a PhD and I also took my masters degree at Chester. Whilst it may be lower in the league tables and rankings than Liverpool, it’s important to think about more than just a league table placing when choosing a university to study at. Also, remember who is ‘judging’ the university and on what basis are they voting on?
Speaking from experience, I have found during my 3 years here so far, that Chester is a brilliant university. It may be smaller than some unis but the support that it provides is amazing. In my department, English, the tutors are really enthusiastic about their subject, as well as being knowledgeable in their field and really wanting to share this knowledge with students. Outside of the department the library team are always available to help with anything and everything from research, to computer and it help. There’s also an incredible academic skills team who I have sought support from on several occasions. This is before I’ve even mentioned the student services, careers, student union!
If you have a look at Chester university’s website you’ll see that Chester has been voted top and in the top 5 of a whole host of award schemes, so it too ranks really highly in many leagues.
I highly recommend you come to the postgraduate fair next Wednesday March 26th all the booking details are on the website. These open evenings are a great way to see the university- the academic and support staff are all available to talk to you, campus tours are available for you to have a good look around the uni facilities and led by current postgraduates who can tell you about the university from a postgraduate students point of view. You will gain a real insight and a sense of how you feel at Chester as it is the most important thing to choose a uni that you feel comfortable at because if you don’t like it, you will not be able to do yourself and your studies justice, regardless of league tables,
Hopefully we will see you on 26th,
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester