I am wondering if this is rumor.
I was told that private schools, say, those of Ivy Leagues, give out bigger funding packages to accepted students. On the other hand, if you get accepted with funding from public universities, they give you less in terms of money and shorter in terms of time. In public schools, you also need to work as a teaching or research assistant in order to waive tuition.
I thought working as a TA or RA is part of PhD training, and I certainly appreciate assitantship opportunities. However, is it really true that private schools give out 5-year fellowships, which means no need of work?
I am so not convinced, and need proof to believe it.