Oxford CS DPhil vs Rochester CS PhD

[Ferax]

Hi folks. I have shortlisted these two from a handful of offers as final contenders for grad school destination. This turns out to be a much harder decision than I imagined.

Below I try to list all that I can think of right now. There are generic factors and there are factors that are really specific to me.

Basic info: The Oxford offer is a non-funded program under the supervision of a moderately renowned professor (I rate his academic prestige at 8/10) and a Royal Society Fellow co-advisor (10/10). I can apply to China Scholarship Council (hopes are slim though) but the cost is manageable for my family as well. The Rochester offer is full-funded, with principal supervisor a newly recruited Assistant Prof. (5/10) and a renowned co-advisor (9/10). The domains of research are different, with Oxford focusing on knowledge representation theory / ontology, and Rochester on data mining. 

Ox Pros:

1. Much higher academic prestige for both the department and the supervisor
2. Alumni connection from both the department and the college
3. I will be working on well-established frameworks with a lot done by previous students and faculties
4. Program looks shorter on papers, at 3-4 years. I checked the homepage of previous students in my group and they typically graduate in 4-5 years
5. Perhaps - the name Oxford comes with some extra recognition

Ox Cons:

1. Money. Even though I can afford it, it's still a thing
2. Relative shortage of a Chinese / Asian community. Not entirely sure
3. UK PhDs are considered of less value than US ones
4. Separation from my gf for at least 4 years. She will be attending some MS in California and will definitely not go to UK afterwards. I value the relationship highly

UR Pros:

1. I know the co-advisor personally, he's a remote relative of mine. Which probably means less pushing
2. Abundance of peers of similar ethnicity, less risk of isolation
3. Alumni connection is also not bad here, especially considering the industry
4. I will be the first generation PhD student of this AP, a fact that comes with perks and risks
5. Easier to maintain my relationship

UR Cons:

1. Much harder to publish under an AP than under the President / Editor in chief / Founder of many stuff in the respective field
2. Very little pre-established framework for research
3. Program takes longer with a higher bar on publication for graduation
4. Larger risk of deferral regarding COVID-19. US visa is also notoriously hard for Chinese applicants, even those with offers

I will regret gravely after rejecting either offer. It's a matter of which one should I regret less.