Inexpensive grad schools

[Joshua Helios]

Dear All,

In USA, which are the most inexpensive grad schools as per tuition fees? i.e. as per credit hour cost or cost per semester?

Regards,

Joshua Helios

[meecat]

Oh boy.

When it comes to grad school, that is really the wrong question to ask.

Would you really want to spend any money on an "inexpensive" school that doesn't at all help you find a job come graduation? Or would you want to find a school that is well respected and will ultimately lead you to job offers? I'm not saying that you shouldn't go to an inexpensive school, so long as you make sure that any program/school you choose is well established and has a good reputation in terms of getting students hired.

It sounds like you are an international student, so chances are that you will not benefit from in-state tuition at any public university. Thus, you are probably looking at around $25,000-$30,000/year in tuition at your average state school and $40,000/year in tuition at your average private institution.

[JustChill]

As the previous poster mentions, your main priority should be finding a program that is more "likely" to result in a job. It's better to take out a bit of a loan for a better program and then find a job, than go to a program that no one in your field has ever heard of for free.

[Jae B.]

As another fiercely anti-debt person, I would add that there are a lot of great state schools that are way cheaper than private ones, and would probably still be cheaper than many private schools even with high (~$10,000 per year) out-of-state fees tacked on. A good public university paired with a relatively inexpensive living-area could save you a lot of money.

I'm willing to bet the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, an esteemed school, is cheaper than some private alternatives, although it's in an area with a high cost of living. So look for a school like that with a less-costly living situation.

However, my big caveat to this is that private schools -- from my observation -- tend to offer much more financial aid and scholarship opportunities to assist international students. I guess you could say they're more interested in catering to a diverse international audience than state schools -- intended to serve their states first-and-foremost and sap big money in fees off everybody from anywhere else -- are. But you've got to research this at each school / department.

Bottom line: find the best schools for your interests, and then sort out the least expensive ones (tuition + living expenses) as well as the ones with the most financial aid and scholarship opportunities for international students. Apply to as many as you can afford the application fees for, do a thorough job on the financial aid sections of your applications, and see what schools offer you. Hopefully you'll wind up with a good range of options.

Especially if you're an international student, you want to make studying here worth your while, right? It's a lot of trouble to go to, so at least go to a school that will work in your best interest in the long run, and help you pay off any debt you incur attending. Think of it this way: there are a lot of ways to incur debt in life, other than your schooling, but you're only going to get one MBA to help you pay all of your debts off. Make it a good one!

In the end, you could be able to attend a highly-ranked expensive private school on a large scholarship that makes it affordable for you. Maybe you'll end up at a good inexpensive school instead. But I don't advise ruling out schools based on cost alone. If you find an expensive school that's a great fit for you, apply because -- since it's a great fit -- your application there will be better because of that, and make you more likely to receive admission with financial aid. Professional master's degree programs are stingier about scholarship aid, and emphasize merit aid over need-based aid (they often expect you to win money awards after you're their student instead of granting you aid before you enroll), but they still compete to keep their best-fitting applicants.

Also, try posting in IHOG and The Bank about financial aid options. And definitely in the Professional Programs --> Business sub-forum! People might be able to give you more suggestions there.

Edited May 28, 2010 by Jae B.

[Joshua Helios]

Thx for all the replies guys. Yes, pinned down correct. International student. You bet I'll be neck deep in debt post my ful time masters!!

Actually I am looking for a masters in economics to get into a PhD program in business. A course in economics was suggested by few of the profs mentoring PhD courses considering my current background and th research I want to participate in. So my worry is not getting a job. Infact I am going back to school after working 5 years in a job as business intelligence consultant. I already have a distance learning MBA from a school in India. Just completed it. Cost $650 only, 2 year program. Now thats blow ur mind cheap, haan!!

I won't try for a job post masters. Plan is to carry on whatever debt through my PhD prgram and handle it post PhD. That's why I am looking for a cheap course, one that will give me a degree with good grades, help me break in to a PhD program. My plan is to look for a good university post masters for my PhD for good research.

Any better suggestions to handle loans and strategy into PhD are welcome though. My thought process is good grades in my masters and a good GRE score are more important to my PhD appln than a competitive school during masters. Should I think otherwise? Humble request to suggest.

Infact I wanted to know, South Dakota State University and Western Kentucky University(Gordon ford college of business), how are they? I sent my educational and work ex docs there and they have sent a very positive reply. They seemed to appreciate my work ex.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Joshua Helios