Affordable but good PP schools

[disintegrate]

I was hoping to get a list of those PP schools with their tuition fee for all the semesters. Hoping to get a list of affordable schools.

[indisabelle]

I did not pay much attention to the tuition differences among schools when applying to those. But now finally I realized now important it is to know which schools are affordable cause I found some schools have unbeleivably high tuition like JHU!!!

[LadyinWaiting]

There are so many factors that comprise a school's "affordability" that it's hard to gauge from a simple list of tuition prices.

If you're looking strictly at dollar amounts, then in the US, generally speaking the cheapest option will most always be the PP/PA school of a public university in the state where you're resident (and there are many excellent options in this category as well). However, I see that you're in India, so if you're a non-US citizen that probably won't help you. At any rate, I don't know if there's a side-by-side tuition comparison of the major programs out there, but one would be easy enough to compile for yourself with a web browser and a couple of hours to spare.

I would advise looking at financial aid trends, which are just as important, if not more, than tuition rates. What percentage of accepted students receive merit and need based aid? What is the dollar amount of the average award? Are there opportunities for teaching or research assistantships? Are there special scholarships for international students, or students who match your profile in interests and work experience? How many loans does the average student have to take out? Some schools, like USC, have high tuition but have very generous aid policies and are able to give out full or half scholarships to a large number of students, while others are notoriously stingy.

If you're looking for a good deal, the best advice I've heard is to find programs that are reputable, but whose accepted students have average grades and test scores that are somewhat lower than yours. Good, but not "top-tier", schools will sometimes offer great packages to entice students who they know will boost their institution's prestige.

Another aspect of affordability is a school's job placement record. How many students are employed after they graduate, and what is their median salary? Many people are willing to go into debt to go to a big name school that has a great employment record for its grads. How much faster this kind of thing will actually help you repay your debt is debatable, but still something you might think about.

Anyway, please keep in mind that this is all very subjective and coming from a non-expert. Hope it helps. Good luck!