cachstardust

Hi friends! I'm planning on doing a Higher Education Administration/Student Affairs masters. The problem is, I'm trying to decide between a few schools where the funding situations are wildly different. For example, I could go to a fully-funded but less prestigious program at Louisiana State and graduate with little debt, or I could attend a very strong program like Northwestern or UPenn and incur $40,000+ in debt. I do not have undergraduate debt or huge current financial obligations. I have spoken to friends who have recently finished MAs in higher ed at top programs who've struggled to find jobs in the field, and I'm not sure starting salaries for entry-level positions are much more than $40,000 if you're lucky. Therefore, I'm reluctant to take on a lot of debt to get this degree, but I'm wondering if a prestigious degree is helpful. Is a Higher Ed MA more about having the degree/relevant experience than the university's prestige? How much debt is reasonable for this field considering starting salaries? What should I do? Thank you so much for your help! I've listed my offers and estimated costs below to help you out. === Boston U: full scholarship, with possible internship funding = ~$15,000 debt (they don't set you up with assistantships) Louisiana State U: fully funded (tuition covered + living stipend) = $0 to minimal debt (assistantship in student services) -pro: geographically where I want to end up long-term -con: a young and unknown program, not sure I want to be in student services versus being in administration/assessment Northwestern U: $28,000 funding / ~$70,000 costs of tuition and living = $42,000 debt (internship in administration/assessment) -pro: fits what I think my career goals right now are -con: little alumni reach in deep South, and debt! U Virginia: $10,000 funding / ~$50,000 costs of tuition and living = $40,000 debt (internship in student services) -con: debt! U Pennsylvania: $24,300 funding / ~$65,000 costs of tuition and living = $40,700 debt (internship match pending) -con: debt!