COMPARE Georgia Tech msqcf v Nyu mfe v ncsu mfm v columbia mafn

[benlhni]

i'm an internatioanl student and i got into these schools for fall 2025.
i am kind of still learning my way around finance (beginner/no work exp) but I think I want to build my profile suited to buy-side quant researcher/trader/trading analyst roles. i also have a bsc in cs so i could opt for quant dev as well.

Which school would be better? NCSU seems to place beginners more in sell-side risk management roles around NC. I'm not really sure about Georgia Tech and NYU's placement for beginners specially in NY or Chicago? columbia mafn seems great and is in NY but is expensive so is it worth it being ivy league? I'm also waiting on Uchicago and CMU's decisions. Any advice is appreciated.

a little on my background:

bsc with a double major in cs and math and minor in econ from a t20 us national university
1 year combined work experience as data analyst and data engineer at home country
2 research internships at research labs in my undergrad institution

 

[mr_spectre]

Out of these, I think that GATech is your best bet in terms of ROI.

They have been doing better YoY in terms of placements.
You also have an option to complete another master's degree with your MS QCF.

Of course, the equation changes if you get into UChicago or CMU.