What is reasonable for graduate tuition?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by marshal, Mar 8, 2001.

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  1. marshal

    marshal New Member

    I know that this is a loaded question, but what is considered reasonable tuition for a graduate program? I am considering a DL masters from an RA school, and the total tuition will be approx. $15,000. Where does this tuition expense fall (expensive or cheap)?

    Eric
     
  2. Tom Head

    Tom Head New Member

    Above average; $10,000 is closer to the norm, $5,000 can be had, and some foreign schools hover around the $1,000 mark.

    Good luck!


    Peace,

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    Tom Head
    co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    What the market will bear. You might find $5,000 or so for a California Coast U. program outrageous, or the $25,000 (or so) a Touro U. Intl. Ph.D. would cost to be reasonable.

    Rich Douglas, Ph.D. (Candidate)
    Centro de Estudios Universitarios
    Monterrey, NL, Mexico
     
  4. blahetka

    blahetka New Member

    It cost me less than $10K in tuition for my MBA (books not included). This was about 2/3 the cost to complete my BS at UoPhx. While tuition was not the main reason I chose not to take my MBA at Phoenix (I wanted an AACSB school), had tuition been high on my criteria list, I would not go there. The MBA program at Phoenix is high. However, there are other schools with much higher tuitions (Santa Clara, Stanford, etc.) and those lower than the SJSU MBA program I took (eg. CSU Dominguez Hills).

    I liken the discussion on tuition similar to that to the price of cars. Why would anyone pay such a high price for a Cadillac? It's basically a Chevy. However, people find things they like about a Cadillac, and it does have a certain cachet.



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    Humans are the only animals that protect
    their stupid from the forces of evolution.

    <A HREF="http://www.blahetka.com
    ===================================" TARGET=_blank>http://www.blahetka.com
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  5. levicoff

    levicoff Guest

    Sounds slightly high, but ultimately competitive to me.

    General rule of thumb: RA schools are the most expensive, but also the most credible. Cost should not be the ultimate factor, but you do get what you pay for.

    Also remember that tuition tends to rise more quickly than the general cost of living or the rate of inflation. When I did my M.A. at Vermont College of Norwich University, graduating in 1989, the total tuition for the program was $5,800. It is now closer to $13,000.

    A few general principles: MBA tuition will be higher than most other programs, since employers with deep pockets often pick up the cost. (For example, Norwich U. just started an online MBA program which is not being run through Vermont College, and the tuition for the basic MBA is $17,000.)

    Among the long-established RA programs (which, at the MA level, are Antioch, Goddard, Lesley, Prescott, and Vermont/Norwich), tuition will generally be competitive. Ditto the long-established doctoral programs (Fielding, Nova Southeastern, Saybrook, Union, and Walden). At the bachelor's level, the "big three" (Charter Oak State, Excelsior, and Thomas Edison State) are the cheapest RA programs, followed by other state colleges and uiniversities, with private colleges and universities at the top.

    Best bottom-line rule: If it sounds too cheap to be good, it probably is. Even if it's located in the U.K., Australia, or Africa. (So I'm xenophobic. Sue me. Wait, somebody already has.)
     
  6. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Some of the non-US (GAAP) graduate programs are much more cost effective for US students than their US (RA) counterparts. Given the exchange rate between some foreign currencies and the US Dollar (which benefits the US student), the tuition paid by US students is often much less than for a US program.

    For example, a doctoral program at the University of South Africa which cost 30,000 Rand, given the exchange rate between the Dollar and the Rand, would cost the US student around $4,000.00. While this may seem inordinantly low for a credible US program, the currency exchange rate makes it an exceptional value for US students.

    The foreign (GAAP) programs may not be the most advantageous route for everyone, but for many, it is an excellent opportunity.

    Russell
     
  7. Sue Johnson

    Sue Johnson New Member

    Eric,

    At Northcentral University, you can earn a 40 unit MBA for $6,600. For more information, e-mail me at: [email protected]. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have about NCU.
     
  8. tcnixon

    tcnixon Active Member

    Dear Sue,

    Thank you for this information. While we are all very excited about having a representative of a distance learning school in our midst, we would caution that too many ads does not a good board make.

    However, if you would like to describe a program at NCU in detail within its own category (as opposed to a response from someone else), I'm sure there would be a number of people interested in reading all about it.

    Tom Nixon
    Moderator
     
  9. mlomker

    mlomker New Member

    That price would impress me if they were regionally accredited. Of course, they'll probably double the cost as soon as they are.
     
  10. hworth

    hworth Member

    This thread has interested me. When my own institution started offering an online MBA, knowing what I do about other online program prices, I thought we were overpriced at approximately $17,500. But, a little more than a year into the program, we are flooded with applicants and currently have a 70% retention rate from first course to four course.

    So, I guess I was wrong that it was overpriced.

    Hworth
     
  11. Sue Johnson

    Sue Johnson New Member

    Tom
    Thank you for your comments. Being new to net-boards, I’m not yet up on the etiquette. Any advice you can provide would be appreciated.

    When I read postings from members that reveal their confusion and angst over
    schools and programs, too many of which are “less than wonderful”, I’m
    anxious to jump in and help by providing information about NCU so that readers can make an informed decision. I am knowledgeable about my school and am available to honestly answer in this public forum any questions about NCU to the best of my ability. I promise to provide information, not speculation or gossip, about NCU so you have the facts. Just ask me.

    If someone wants additional information from me I would appropriately respond via this public forum for all to read. If the question involves a personal or private matter wouldn’t it be more discrete to make contact via email? If this makes sense, then I would appreciate having my email
    address included in my member information.

    In my short association with NCU and web-distance learning, I have become
    distressed by the number and virulence of “phony schools” that are misleading and defrauding the public. They are undermining the legitimacy of distance learning (and of higher education) and making it difficult for
    legitimate schools to be recognized. I am pleased that this forum, and outspoken critics of phony schools such as John Bear, exist as places where the public can come to be informed about the good, as well as the bad and ugly, in distance learning. If we can stop some of the “bad” guys then maybe we’ve done some good.

    I hope I am able to contribute to the public’s awareness that will also benefit my school as it strives to be among the “good ones”. Thank you for the opportunity to be heard. I will try to bridle my enthusiasm and keep it to a quiet roar.

    Sincerely,
    Sue Johnson
    Northcentral University

     
  12. Sue,
    I think it might be appropriate to mention your school as one specific example -- and in the interest of full disclosure, to also mention that Northcentral has not yet achieved accreditation.

    You can easily include your e-mail in your signature. Put email in brackets [] before your e-mail address and /email in brackets [] after to make it a live e-mail link.

    And, just to get back on track, I'll note that tuitions range incredibly. Duke's MBA tuition for the class entering in 2001 is $95,000!



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    Kristin Evenson Hirst
    DistanceLearn.About.com
     
  13. tcnixon

    tcnixon Active Member

    No problem, Sue. As I said, perhaps the best place to do this might be to start your own topic. That way people who are truly interested will have a convenient place to find that information.

    Thanks!

    Tom Nixon
     
  14. Eli

    Eli New Member

    Slightly expensive. E.g. Touro University International's MBA cost $9600 and Ph.D. $24000 (considering one year for the dissertation, usually more). TUI is regionally accredited.

    Eli
     

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