MENAaddict

First of all, congratulations on your admission to these programs! However, I think you're conception about brand / reputation is a bit shortsighted. While I would totally agree with you when it comes to attending college, the case is - at least in my opinion - a bit different when deciding which IR graduate program to attend. As an international student I had similar concerns when making my decision, and especially when you talk to people outside of your field the overall reputation of the "parent"-university seems to play a huge role (Harvard and Yale excel here certainly). What really counts in the end, however, is the reputation of each program within the respective community. I can tell you that many people I talked to knew very well about SAIS or Fletcher, but had never heard of Yale Jackson; Georgetown, SAIS, Fletcher etc. carry huge alumni networks with them which certainly make a difference when looking for a job later on. And while Yale impresses the outsider, people within the field don't really care about the Ivy name. I don't want to say that Yale would be a bad choice. The program is superb, the small cohort a huge advantage and, considering that Jackson is relatively new, it'll also become more recognized in the future. What I want to say is that the "Ivy-argument" shouldn't affect your decision-making. Fletcher is very well know outside the US (much more than Yale Jackson), and has due to its "family character" also extremely helpful and responsive alumni (I'm sure you're already aware of that). Depending on where you want to work later on this could give you an edge over every Yale Jackson graduate. Frankly, if I was you, I would take the 20k and attend Fletcher. It's a lot of money and graduating with less debt outweighs the "Ivy-argument" in any case.