Financing Your B-School Degree
Financing your graduate business degree can be complicated and is often a key factor in your enrollment decision.
Your Potential Return on Investment (ROI)
Attending graduate business school is one of the best investments you will ever make in yourself…and one of the biggest.
Students who enter an MBA program expect their degree to, among other things, expand their career options and enhance their earning power. So many variables make up the ROI determination, though, that the exact value of that degree for any given individual is impossible to accurately predict.
That said, we can still help you determine your overall ROI.
Websites like finaid.org provide sample calculators to perform “what if” scenarios that will identify, based on your input, what ROI, break-even, and Net Present Value (NPV) you can expect from your degree given your inputs.
The calculator also offers sensitivity analysis: change any of your inputs and see the effect of that change on your ROI, break-even, and Net Present Value. This may be particularly helpful as you compare results across different assumptions and explore the various enrollment and financing options.
Remember
- You have a number of resources available to help you—your school, your lender, your employer, your financial advisor, and your family.
- Your greatest strength is in being informed.
- The final decisions about financing are yours. You are in control and responsible for the outcomes of your decisions.
What you will find here:
- Things you must know and things that are good to know about financial aid for graduate business students
- Comparisons of federal and private loans
- A timetable to help you meet financial aid deadlines
- Tips for engaging the system and the people who can help you: your school’s admissions office and financial aid office, your lenders, and others.
This section will help you throughout your education and working career, particularly as you:
- Consider pursuing an MBA degree
- Investigate various graduate business schools
- Review various financing options to pay for school
- Review job offers
- Continue your professional career
