Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:24     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
This is why a lot of people are sending their kids overseas. St. Andrews Scotland is approx 30K/year. LSE is about 28K. National University of Singapore is 10-30K depending on what course is chosen. That's a lot less than 90K and those universities have placements/name recognition on par with Tufts, I would say. YMMV.

Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:24     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We were shocked to find out, during our tufts tour, that the institution has surpassed $91,000. Tufts is a good school ,a great school even, but $91k is way overselling what it actually provides and its mediocre alumni network and few career resources. I understand that the purpose of a college isn't job training, but, at some point, when you're charging such obscene prices, you have to guarantee a return on the investment beyond being a "whole, educated person." For you, what institutions are worth $90k+, if any?


Depends on what the child wants to do. To me, by far the most value proposition with the highest expected return is HYPSM. We are full pay and HYPSM's prices at around $90k per year are a steal. The best deal there is in all of higher education anywhere in the world.


If you are UMC your hypothesis has been empirically proven to be not true[see Chetty]. HYPSM will provide a slightly higher chance of making it to the 1% so it is like buying a lottery ticket.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:23     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:If you pay half of that, you can save $180,000 over 4 years.

If you put that in S&P500 assuming 9% yield, you get 1 million in 20 years.

You'll be a millionaire at 45 years old.


Except we are about to enter a bear market and a recession.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:22     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:If rich can afford it, it's "worth" it. If it was affordable at $200,000/year, would be "worth" it.

As a practical matter, paying $91,000 for only 5 classes per semester seems steep. High schools spend $19,000 per student. Even if universities spent triple the salaries, that would be $57,000/year. Plus public schools don't have endowments. I guess universities spend big bucks on other things, esthetics, events, speakers, research.


High schools have limited offerings and of course you can't really major in anything. They also don't need endowments because they are provided all the funding that has been agreed for the upcoming current school year. That said, many public schools in wealthy areas have outside PTA-type organizations that raise a decent amount of $$$s.

If college basically only offered Math, Western History, English and General Science (i.e., no real depth in any of the sciences like HS)...with a narrow smattering of electives...then yes, one would think they would spend a ton less and cost less.

Finally, many high schools have fairly small physical plants. You do see some private schools with sprawling campuses like college...but they are private. Of course, those private / boarding schools, no surprise, charge anywhere from $60k - $90k per year.

Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:21     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:If you pay half of that, you can save $180,000 over 4 years.

If you put that in S&P500 assuming 9% yield, you get 1 million in 20 years.

You'll be a millionaire at 45 years old.


Anywhere they want to go.

My kids will have 10's of millions by their 40's. Expensive college is just giving money a bit early.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:20     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone spending $90k per year on college has forgotten how much time they spent drunk in college.


Oh right people are forgetting to factor another Xk for drinks.


So many kids in this gen don’t drink at all. Mine doesn’t and if he were a parties probably the last place ode wand him is a big alcoholic frat party football school
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:17     Subject: Re:To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Yes. We went through the shock last year. We had pay for this, not this blah blah

And after our kid got into an Ivy and we did the tour and all of the admitted student days, we are now paying the $90k for the Ivy. It was fit.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:16     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:If rich can afford it, it's "worth" it. If it was affordable at $200,000/year, would be "worth" it.

As a practical matter, paying $91,000 for only 5 classes per semester seems steep. High schools spend $19,000 per student. Even if universities spent triple the salaries, that would be $57,000/year. Plus public schools don't have endowments. I guess universities spend big bucks on other things, esthetics, events, speakers, research.

the full pays subsidize the tuition for those receiving financial aid
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:13     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:Ivies only


The Ivy League is a sports conference. There is a wide variance of school type and quality within the conference; treating them as a single entity is weak thinking.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:12     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
If rich can afford it, it's "worth" it. If it was affordable at $200,000/year, would be "worth" it.

As a practical matter, paying $91,000 for only 5 classes per semester seems steep. High schools spend $19,000 per student. Even if universities spent triple the salaries, that would be $57,000/year. Plus public schools don't have endowments. I guess universities spend big bucks on other things, esthetics, events, speakers, research.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:08     Subject: Re:To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Kids' best fit schools at whatever price are covered by their 529 plans.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:06     Subject: Re:To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:WashU mom keeps inserting WashU


WashU 29 dad here. Honestly cannot wait to write that check! Doesn’t hurt that total cost of college is single digit percentage of my net worth.


It is a rich kids school after all.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:06     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:We were shocked to find out, during our tufts tour, that the institution has surpassed $91,000. Tufts is a good school ,a great school even, but $91k is way overselling what it actually provides and its mediocre alumni network and few career resources. I understand that the purpose of a college isn't job training, but, at some point, when you're charging such obscene prices, you have to guarantee a return on the investment beyond being a "whole, educated person." For you, what institutions are worth $90k+, if any?


Whichever yields a happy kid.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 10:04     Subject: To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
Anonymous wrote:Is a Louis Vuitton "worth" it? NO
Is paying for every streaming service "worth" it? NO, this is why we cycle them every 6 months
Is contributing money to an art museum to help it grow "worth" it? NO, that's what my tax dollars are for.
Is having a pet "worth" it? YES, studies are clear on this
Is giving money to your church "worth" it? IF it provides community, but not for me.
Is paying a lot of money for college "worth" it? DEPENDS on college, this is what we're discussing.

Each of these questions can be answered differently depending on your own background. Who am I to say what someone else values? We all need to mind our own business, in my opinion.

Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 09:58     Subject: Re:To you, what schools are truly worth 90k/year
UMiami, USC, Tulane? Yes, yes, yes.