UWashington vs UColorado MPA -- prestige versus fit?

[rjblake34]

Got into both schools I applied for MPA (interested in policy analysis). I did pro-con list with a weighted point system and they basically scored identically.

University of Washington is a top 5 school, offers a high quality education, and it's in my home state. However, it's relatively expensive (even in-state). I also didn't get the fellowship funding offered to the top 30% of candidates, so I'm worried I wouldn't be in the top 30% of students considered for internships/assistantships

University of Colorado is more like a top 25 school and offers a high quality education, though without the level of prestige of UW. I was accepted into their accelerated cohort, so I could be a full time student and finish in 1 year for an affordable $26K (rather than like $60K over two years for UW). I also feel like I would be more competitive there for internships/assistantships. 

Overall Colorado feels like the better fit both in cost and experience, but UW offers the shinier name on a resume.

I'd appreciate some input from anyone with experience at either program, or the general spirit of my dilemma. 

[jbc17]

If something feels like the better fit, and is cheaper. Then that should be all you need!

[DSWstudentTSSW]

No experience in MPA - but I am a CU alum and Boulder is amazing. Had they had my graduate program I would have returned in a heartbeat. Good luck!