<p>I got into my top choice among the five graduate programs I applied to. It was the only private school among them, and with that, would overall cost close to double the others ($60K compared to $35K-$40K). The private school is a top ten in my field and would provide better access to internships during school that could lead to jobs after school. Still, I'm nervous about taking on that much debt. Help, I don't know what to do.</p>
<p>What is the field? What’s the degree?</p>
<p>It’s in International Affairs, the programs are slightly different. The top program is an MA, others are MA, Master of International Studies and Master of International Policy.</p>
<p>Depends - on what your undergrad debt is and what kind of salaries you can hope to make.</p>
<p>If you have zero undergrad debt and $60K is all you have to borrow, that might be doable. You could put it on graduated repayment, and I think a person with an MA in international affairs can reasonably expect to make $60K at least at midcareer, if not in their first job.</p>
<p>However, if you already have undergraduate debt, consider how you will pay this off. If you, for example, already have $30K in undergrad debt and add $60K, then you will have $90K in debt. How are you going to pay that off on MIA salaries?</p>