Hi everyone,
I am also in the same boat as many of you with regards to choosing NPSIA or GSPIA. Today, I spoke with a professor from my school who has connections to NPSIA and asked her what she would do if she were in a position like many of us. Here's her opinion on the choice:
1) NPSIA is particularly good for someone with a deep interest in political economy (she had a lot of positive things to say about this)
2) The only case in which she would choose GSPIA over NPSIA is if GSPIA offered more funding. In this case, her opinion was that the difference in the programs wouldn't justify going to NPSIA.
3) NPSIA is still the number one school for international affairs.
4) In recent years, GSPIA seems to have more funding for classes/programs etc. (you can do a lot with good funding)
In general, I got the impression that NPSIA is a better choice than GSPIA, BUT that both are amazing. The fact that both are in Ottawa is a great advantage. I'm not sure if this confirms or denies anything that has already been stated here, but I thought I should share.
Hope this helps! After my talks with this professor, I am most likely going to choose NPSIA. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISIONS!