Yale's endowment: $1.35 million per student

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by SpencerH
The question (that I heard elsewhere) that I think makes sense is why universities with such huge endowments need to charge such outrageous amounts in order to get an education there?

Harvard, for instance, will help you to the order of dozens of thousands a year, if your family revenue is below 500k.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yep... a lot of Ivy league students end up going for less than public school students pay.

[atomant]

as people with small endowments often say... "it is not the size of your endowment, but how you sue (pun intended) it that counts...."

[SpencerH]

This year, Harvard's tuition is $26,066 and the total cost of attendance, including tuition, room, board, and other charges is $37,928. Two thirds of Harvard undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, including scholarships, loans, and jobs, and the total aid provided to undergraduates is just under $110 million this year.

"Already nearly half of Harvard's undergraduates receive grants averaging over $24,000 each year, and two-thirds receive some form of financial aid," said William C. Kirby, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "This new initiative will enhance our effectiveness in reaching out to students who have done remarkable things with their lives despite limited financial resources."

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/...28-finaid.html

So, assuming you're one of the top students in the country AND one of the lucky ones getting $24K, you get to pay around $13K/yr for the priviledge of attending Harvard. Whoop de ****ing do! OTOH you could get a 'full ride' almost anywhere else outside of the "ivy league" (which is exactly what a colleague of mine did - turned down a half ride at Harvard and went for free to Tulane).

[Imran Siddiqui]

Um... I don't think I'd pick Tulane if I could have gotten in Harvard .

[Drake Tungsten]

I picked Nebraska over Stanford. Regretted it a bit at the time, but it seems like the right choice in retrospect. Undergrad means jack **** anyway, so why pay for it when you can get it for free?

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
I picked Nebraska over Stanford. Regretted it a bit at the time, but it seems like the right choice in retrospect. Undergrad means jack **** anyway, so why pay for it when you can get it for free?

A friend of mine did the same thing. It was pretty hilarious to hear him describe it. He's a big friendly farm boy, and is constantly underestimated because of this and because he's fat. (He's an incredible athlete, starting QB and best pitcher on his H.S. baseball team).

Anyway he got into Yale. "You got into Yale?!?" a guy at the bar asks, clearly doubting it.

"Yep. I just applied on a whim, and imagine my surprise when I got a letter from Yale saying, 'Come on Down!'." He made it sound like he'd been selected for The Price is Right. He decided to take the free ride too.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Um... I don't think I'd pick Tulane if I could have gotten in Harvard .

Tulane is an excellent university. I'd prefer to work there rather than any ivy league school (except maybe Cornell). Avg entering SAT to Tulane is 1340 which is not much lower than Harvards and explainable by the fact that Tulane doesnt have it's nose "solidly in the air" i.e. it takes local students with likely potential who dont have the usual high SAT's.

[Imran Siddiqui]

You don't go to Harvard (or Yale) just for the education. You go for the networking. Hell, Yale undergrad is a joke. There are an incredible number of pass/fail classes. But, a lot of bigwigs send their kids to Yale and if you get in with them, it can be a lot easier path to the top.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
You don't go to Harvard (or Yale) just for the education. You go for the networking. Hell, Yale undergrad is a joke. There are an incredible number of pass/fail classes. But, a lot of bigwigs send their kids to Yale and if you get in with them, it can be a lot easier path to the top.

That is indeed an important reason to go, but only if you plan to stay in the New York/ Washington corridor. A degree from Duke has more networking worth more in the south than one from Haaaavaad.

[Imran Siddiqui]

You'd be surprised at how far "Harvard" goes in the South. Btw, the networking stuff is also a reason to go to Notre Dame over similarly ranked universities.