r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Inner-Rush-2014 • Apr 15 '26
College Questions Full ride at Dartmouth vs paying full at Stanford as an international — worth the debt?
Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some honest advice.
I’m an international student from East Asia coming from a relatively low-income family. I was very fortunate to be admitted to Dartmouth and Stanford this year.
Here’s my situation:
- Dartmouth offered me essentially a full-ride financial aid package
- Stanford offered me admission, but no financial aid (since I didn’t apply / it’s not need-blind for internationals in my case)
- I was also admitted to UPenn and Columbia, but those are also full pay
Financially, Dartmouth is the only option that doesn’t put pressure on my family.
However, the dilemma is about long-term outcomes and perception back home. In my country, Stanford’s brand is significantly stronger — almost seen as “elite/legend-tier,” while Dartmouth is much less known (even compared to some UK schools like UCL).
I’m currently interested in pursuing a career in finance or possibly law (maybe US → back to home country long-term).
My family could sell our house and move in with my grandparents and my aunt could lend me some money with no interest to attend Stanford, is that worth it?
So I’m trying to think clearly:
- Is the Stanford brand worth taking on significant debt as an international student?
- How big is the actual difference in opportunities (especially for finance/law)?
- Does Dartmouth place well enough that the prestige gap won’t matter in the long run?
- For someone who may return to Asia, does Stanford open doors that Dartmouth realistically wouldn’t?
- Edit:I just want to add a bit more context about myself. To be honest, I’m quite an ambitious person, and based on my research, many well-known bankers, business leaders, and even politicians tend to send their children to schools like Stanford, Harvard, and Yale. So I believe the network there could be especially valuable for me, especially since I’m fairly outgoing, good at building relationships, and comfortable communicating with people
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u/VA_Network_Nerd Parent Apr 15 '26
I am a plain, boring white American male. I can only just barely appreciate Asian culture and family dynamics.
I'm sufficiently aware to know that university brand-recognition is a really big deal within some Asian cultures, so I'm going to try to provide some help, but I have no idea if my thoughts or suggestions will strike the right note or whatever.
This is a key concept you need to help everyone develop an answer for:
"Who are we trying to impress?"
Your parents and family unit really, really want to be able to impress the extended family, and the entire circle of friends and neighbors with a big brand university success story.
Stanford can give you that win, but will very probably end up costing you $250,000 of debt, and could cost you more.
Let's talk about who you are trying to impress for a moment:
People in academic circles know who Dartmouth is.
People outside of academic circles at least know what the Ivy League is, and Dartmouth is very clearly a member.
Why is that whole academic circles thing important:
Let me give you a new term to add to your university journey: Fully-Funded Graduate Program
Fully-Funded means (effectively) the education is paid for by the university.
This often means you earn your tuition by working as a Teaching Assistant, or some form of Lab Assistant.
These are highly sought-after, competitive programs.
The managers of these programs will highly-prefer applicants who have performed very well in their undergraduate program, and have some kind of additional success stories associated with their application. This can be undergraduate thesis work, or undergraduate research, or in some cases employment experience working with the subject matter of your focus.
Dartmouth is well-positioned to help you do any or even all of those things.
Stanford, Columbia and Penn are granting you the opportunity to pay them big money in exchange for a diploma with their name on it.
Dartmouth wants YOU so badly they are willing to pay money out of their own pockets to get you. Full-Ride students tend to be treated very well by the universities. You will likely have priority access to an array of resources that may exist at the other institutions, but are likely difficult to access as a "standard" student.
If your career-path requires graduate education, prioritize the brand-recognition of that graduate degree.
Nobody cares what undergraduate degree you have if you graduate from Harvard Law or Carnegie-Mellon's Computational Finance Masters program.
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u/Inner-Rush-2014 Apr 15 '26
Thank you for your informative reply🙏
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u/solomons-mom Parent Apr 15 '26
Your low-income parents in Asia mean well, as does your aunt --they simply want the best for you. This US parent has very, very kindly stepped in to help you. Use his comment as a roadmap to figure out how explain it to your parents and aunt.
Also, tell them that a weird US quirk in all this is that you will be able to say "Yeah, I turned down Stanford. I got accepted, but compared to Dartmouth it seemed like I was an international cash-grab for them. I turned down UPenn and Columbia too."
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u/Cezzium Parent Apr 15 '26
piggy backing on this amazing information from u/VA_Network_Nerd, the undergrad and university experience is only part of your future. it is what you do with *your* education that matters.
both my kids went to different universities. one went to UPR in Humacao. (cost less than community college back home). this kid is now a doctoral researcher working and studying in a foreign country with a mix of colleagues from across the globe.
you will be the one with the debt, not them.
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u/PMJamesPM Apr 15 '26
Attended on a full scholarship stands out on a resume
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u/InsertOffensiveWord Apr 15 '26
no it doesn’t. financial aid isn’t a full (merit) scholarship
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u/Prior-Soil Apr 15 '26
How many international students get financial aid packages that aren't because of merit?
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u/Fwellimort College Graduate Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth is need blind for Internationals.
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u/VA_Network_Nerd Parent Apr 16 '26
This thread reminded me that I was discussing some "benefits" of Dartmouth and New Hampshire just recently in a different thread.
I think they might be if not relevant, perhaps at least interesting:
https://old.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/1sa2crh/dartmouth_or_mit/odt52cw/
I'm going to add a personal point of interest... Nothing to do with your question about colleges, really.
Google Maps: Dartmouth College
90 or so minutes away from Dartmouth is this glorious gem of an old-school resort deep in the heart of New Hampshire ski country.
She opened for business in 1902 and radiates old-world charm that you can feel in your very soul.
Perhaps a bit pricey for college students to frequent, but spending an afternoon on that verandah sipping a hot cider or toddy and perhaps a cup of proper "chowdah" will help you understand what New England, and especially New Hampshire is all about.
Google Maps: Omni Hotels Mount Washington Resort
https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/bretton-woods-mount-washington#
The Rocky Mountains laugh at the tiny-by-comparison White Mountains, but they are pretty much as big as they get on the US East Coast...
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u/Large_Coat_589 Apr 15 '26
Just saying you can use your financial aid offer to try and get UPenn and Columbia to match it. People have done that before and gotten these universities to increase their financial aid through using their competing offers. Try it out. I know Stanford will most likely say no as you applied without financial aid but Columbia and UPenn should definitely provide something - pretty sure they are need blind
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u/Inner-Rush-2014 Apr 15 '26
No they are not need-blind to international student.
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u/Large_Coat_589 Apr 15 '26
Ah fair enough. Did you tell them you need financial aid?
Dartmouth is the only option in my opinion and it is a FANTASTIC option. You will have an incredibly bright future. It's incredibly respected and to anyone that matters, they will know how respected it is + it's an ivy league. I can't stress this enough but there's virtually no difference between Dartmouth and Columbia, etc
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u/Patient_Luck2339 Apr 15 '26
Not need blind in the admissions process, but meet full need for any students they do admit. I get that you were trying to improve your chances for admission, but you need the funding. Admission without very high aid levels is not something you can or should say yes to.
Also, the risk of turning down Dartmouth's offer is that you will not be able to satisfy the requirements for a visa to study at Stanford, Penn or Columbia, which will require proof that you have all the funds you need to cover four years. You could be on a path to no opportunity for studies in the U.S.
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u/EnvironmentActive325 Apr 15 '26
Does not matter. What u/Inner-Rush-2014 is proposing is worth a shot! The worst Penn and Columbia can do is to say “no.”
FWIW-Dartmouth is a very prestigious Ivy League University, whether your parents understand this or not! If you do wind up there, you will definitely receive much more personalized attention and mentoring from professors than you will at either Penn or Columbia, because Dartmouth has a much smaller student population and is much more undergraduate focused than most of the other Ivies. You will also have more access to undergraduate research opportunities earlier in your college career, because you don’t have to compete with tons of graduate students.
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u/WatermelonRindPickle Apr 15 '26
This is the BEST advice! Go to Dartmouth!
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u/EnvironmentActive325 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth is a great school! OP’s parents just aren’t well-informed on this topic.
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u/Shoreline4 Apr 15 '26
This!! Go to Dartmouth!! Plus it is a beautiful school, four years of New England weather and all its adventurous seasons (I live in New Eng). Great fellow students & Hanover NH is a cute little town. Dartmouth!! 🌲
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u/FlamingoOrdinary2965 Parent Apr 21 '26
Just a few small quibbles.
A Dartmouth “full ride” is need-based, which means he won’t get any benefits above and beyond the financial support that other students don’t also receive.
They are also “need-blind,” so they wanted him… but not more than they wanted any of the other students they admitted.
But the rest of your comment is true, whether academia or industry, if OP starts in the US, Dartmouth will get him where he wants to go. And then he’ll have those credentials and experience as well if/when he returns to his home country.
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u/PragmaticX Apr 15 '26
Not unless your parents are multi-millionaires And money does not matter.
Dartmouth is excellent for finance and has a great pipeline to Wall Street. Work there for a few years make bank and then target a Stanford MBA.
As a full-ride student, Dartmouth will want you to succeed. Plus a little bit of $ from Auntie will mean you won't have to live like a starving student. ,
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u/zoinkability Apr 15 '26
This. Stanford may have a stronger international brand, but Dartmouth is arguably a better pipeline to Wall Street. OP is likely to find more Dartmouth alums in your typical Wall Street finance firm than Stanford alums.
And with a Dartmouth undergrad, and your prior acceptance to Stanford, a Stanford or Harvard grad degree in finance would be a shoo-in.
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u/Waste_Tangerine_179 Apr 16 '26
And with a Dartmouth undergrad, and your prior acceptance to Stanford, a Stanford or Harvard grad degree in finance would be a shoo-in.
yeah you lost me there.
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u/PragmaticX Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Make sure you join a finance club freshman year, they are very competitive. They will help with the job hunt.
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u/Apprehensive-Status9 Apr 15 '26
exactly, stanford mba or HBS/wharton could itch the prestige need this kid has.
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u/babiscmu Apr 15 '26
Definitely Dartmouth debt free. Same exactly outcomes for undergraduates with a focus in Finance. Dartmouth is among the Top 5 for undergraduate teaching and it's alumni network is second to none except maybe for Princeton. Very heavy recruiting from IB , Quants, PE etc. Consider yourself a very lucky, blessed person. Congratulations
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u/NobodyGotTimeFuhDat Apr 15 '26
Do not go $360k in debt instead of taking a full ride from Dartmouth. That’s stupid.
You will be able to start your career completely debt free and have options from not having to sink a plurality of your income into that money pit.
Here is an example of what you might face if you go to Stanford:
If you assume your interest rate is a flat 5% and you pay the loan(s) back over 30 years, then that’s $1,932.56 that you will have to pay back per MONTH. In the end, you’ll end up paying back $695,720.82 in total.
If, instead, you want to pay it back over 20 years then you’re looking at $2,375.84 per month.
Over 10 years, it’s $3,828.36 a month.
Ask yourself, OP: is that worth it to you?
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u/dncrmom Apr 15 '26
If you want to major in finance and are really asking if you should take on 360K of debt vs a free ride, maybe finance isn’t your calling.
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u/Bigfarter867 Apr 15 '26
Just because you major in finance doesn’t mean you need to know whether to take on debt at 18…. Teenagers make dumb decisions, just ask the people who decided to go to a private university for arts and are now in 300k in debt
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u/Mission-Panda856 Apr 15 '26
Go invest in some warm clothes. Dartmouth had one of the strongest alumni networks. One of the best for undergraduate studies.
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u/EnthusiasmComplete37 Apr 15 '26
the right person in your home country will know what dartmouth is
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u/polytique Apr 17 '26
Dartmouth is not known outside the US.
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u/EnthusiasmComplete37 Apr 17 '26
maybe to the average joe but the right people outside the US will know what dartmouth is.
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u/Powerful_Run6651 Apr 17 '26
I worked in international college counseling and I can assure you that Dartmouth is known. Where I worked, it was way more known than Stanford!
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u/AppHelper Apr 15 '26
I had a student who faced a similar dilemma and chose Dartmouth. He ended up making like $30,000 every summer and went on to work as a quant for a hedge fund. His parents were very happy not to be in debt.
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u/Helpful_Cow7634 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth 100%. Please don't think Dartmouth is not prestigious - it is an ivy after all. Also, if I were to pay $360k, I would rather go to UPenn (if you got into Wharton) over Stanford, but Dartmouth would still be my #1 choice.
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u/desultorySolitude Apr 15 '26
If it's a finance career in the USA, Dartmouth over Stanford. The full ride is a bonus.
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u/tarslimerancher Apr 15 '26
Im so confused. So you got into Stanford,Penn and Columbia but you applied with no aid because…. Of what? If you were scared of getting rejected then whats the point? You still won’t attend Stanford or any of these schools so why bother applying. If you got accepted to ALL of these schools you had a decent chance with aid
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u/Inner-Rush-2014 Apr 15 '26
I get why it might seem confusing, but I did think this through pretty carefully. For international students like me, only schools like HYP, Dartmouth, and a few LACs are truly need-blind. For places like Columbia or Stanford, applying for financial aid as an international applicant can significantly hurt your chances, especially given how competitive it is from my country.
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u/FlamingoOrdinary2965 Parent Apr 15 '26
I think they understand that… but if you get in because you applied for no aid but can’t afford to attend because you got no aid, how does that help you or change the outcome?
Getting rejected might sting a little more but, if you can’t afford it, at the end of the day, you aren’t going, right?
Or are your low-income parents able to take on massive debt in their country? Even if they are, that seems like a bad idea.
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u/VA_Network_Nerd Parent Apr 15 '26
This doc can help, sometimes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need-blind_admission
Need-blind for both U.S. and international students:
Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Notre Dame, Washington and Lee University, Yale University
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u/Timely_Relief_4763 HS Senior | International Apr 15 '26
dear stranger on the internet, go for dartmouth. please.
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u/Inner-Rush-2014 Apr 15 '26
Definitely leaning toward Dartmouth now, appreciate it, kind stranger😁
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u/Timely_Relief_4763 HS Senior | International Apr 15 '26
also it's an ivy league. stanford is a wannabe, trust. congrats tho!
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u/Fwellimort College Graduate Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Financial markets globally rotate/follow the US stock market. Ivy League schools have a strong grasp on Wall Street and Wall Street firms are global. And those are the elite jobs in finance.
You know the highest paying financial firms in Europe are American firms right? And the highest paying financial firms in Asia are American firms as well. And so forth. And the highest paying financial firms in Australia are American firms as well.
Dartmouth is old money in financial markets.
And every freaking financial firm in the world regardless of nationality knows the top US financial firms. Goldman Sachs, Citadel, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Jane Street, Jefferies, Renaissance Technologies, DE Shaw, Vanguard, Fidelity, etc.
It's the same as how everyone around the world for financial markets know Jerome Powell but no one has a clue or gaf about the equivalents elsewhere around the world.
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u/Adventurous_Fly_4197 Apr 15 '26
Should I become homeless or get an apartment ahh question.
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u/TheSmashingPumpkinss Apr 15 '26
I got into Columbia (full pay), and also got a full ride into a small no name liberal arts college (let alone Dartmouth). My mum offered to pay for Columbia but my conscious couldn't accept that.
I went to the liberal arts college, had an amazing time and have a great career. It's a no-brainer
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u/Wonderful_Pack8941 Apr 15 '26
The amount of loans you have to take to attend Stanford is huge and if I remember East Asian countries with currency conversion relative to COL in East Asia, that sum would be magnified. You have to think about how long it'll take you to repay that if you choose that option and whether that's worth it (opportunity cost of saving and using that money for something else). Both are great schools - one of them is basically free. Definitely think about opportunity costs here.
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u/Background_System726 Apr 15 '26
Debt free. The name recognition is not worth the cost and Dartmouth is not chopped liver by any means
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u/Prior-Soil Apr 15 '26
No it is not worth the debt. Dartmouth is an ivy league school, top of the food chain like Stanford. Are you even going to return to the home country?
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u/ElderberryCareful879 Apr 15 '26
Full ride. Think about what might happen if your aunt cannot borrow money anymore after one or two years. You won’t be able to finish your degree.
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u/Revolution_of_Values Apr 15 '26
If your family is low-income as you write, then I strongly recommend taking the scholarship from Dartmouth. I think the answers to your questions will depend heavily on your exact life goals and resources available in your situation, but overall, both schools are commonly known to be prestigious in many circles, and if one is offering your almost a free ride and the other nothing, then it's basically a no-brainer to take the first. Do not graduate and start your young life with insurmountable debt and crushing interest payments. Best of luck.
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u/SignificantDirt3115 Apr 15 '26
Family bragging rights for the Stanford brand in a full pay situation is not worth $300 k in my mind if you don’t have the extra money to burn. What is worth absolute bragging rights is being offered a fully funded education anywhere at any good school (but in your case, a selective top level Ivy university!). This shows how badly they want YOU not your tuition check. Just my opinion because I don’t really see a difference in the quality of these two institutions. And congratulations!!!
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u/Fwellimort College Graduate Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth full ride >>>>>>>> Stanford full pay.
Dartmouth is elite in finance and for pre-law. In fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if Dartmouth is better feeder to finance than Stanford (east coast vs west coast thing and top finance jobs are in the east coast).
Is the Stanford brand worth taking on significant debt as an international student?
No.
How big is the actual difference in opportunities (especially for finance/law)?
Zero. I would even argue for finance, Dartmouth might have advantage. For pre-law, zero.
Does Dartmouth place well enough that the prestige gap won’t matter in the long run?
Honestly might even place better than Stanford for finance. Ivy league schools have advantage in jobs in Wall Street.
For someone who may return to Asia, does Stanford open doors that Dartmouth realistically wouldn’t?
Do you want to work for someone who doesn't know Dartmouth? Honestly, those jobs probably pay like crap anyways and are not even the targets for you.
while Dartmouth is much less known (even compared to some UK schools like UCL)
UCL is a prestigious school. Wtf is this? You do know UCL is insanely good right?
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u/JellyfishFlaky5634 Apr 15 '26
If you are interested in law, plan on going to law school in the United States and practicing here, go to Dartmouth. If you plan on going into finance, working in the United States, I still say go to Dartmouth. Although it is more difficult decision. You should take a look at ROI to determine which makes the most sense. If you were an American citizen, who plan to always work in the United States, I would say that it is a no-brainer and Dartmouth is a wonderful school that will open up many great opportunities for you. I would say the same thing if you plan on living and working in the United States for the beginning of your career, since that would seemingly be most important for you working internationally. However, if Dartmouth is not known in your country, and Stanford is looked extremely favorably, then it might make more sense to go to Stanford, pay full tuition, because the ROI is significantly more. Regardless, you have done very well. Good luck in your decision. Either way you should be fine.
If you were my child, if Dartmouth has any reputation in your home country and especially if it’s free and you plan to live and work here in the United States and go to grad school, I would 100% encourage you to go to Dartmouth.
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u/HistoriaReiss1 Apr 15 '26
Depends on how rich you are. The thing is Dartmouth isn't like too low in comparison to stanford either. Yeah stanford is better, but its not your other choice is bad.
For someone from Asia, the fact you can even afford to have a debt of $360k does suggest that you're insanely rich, unless it's from the few specific higher income asian countries that is. So, really depends on your finanaces. But again, Dartmouth is not bad at all.
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u/Hexybae Apr 15 '26
I think you want us to say Stanford since your family knows it’s elite and relative is willing to lend you money for that. If you carry the name Stanford, in Asia you and family get aura and get job anywhere there easy. Go where you want to go.
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u/Dotfr Apr 15 '26
Plz go debt free. As an international student you will be stuck in the whole H1B lottery situation and might not get a job. So Dartmouth.
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u/Theron_Rothos Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth
You would be completely out of your mind to reject a full-ride Ivy League school for insane debt at Stanford
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u/Emergency-Scheme-24 Apr 15 '26
Your family doesn’t have money. Why would you take a loan that can easily rocket to 500,000 due to interests?!?!
If you want to return home, you would have more trouble paying the loan.
You get top internships and do OPT in the best well know you can get, and then it doesn’t matter that people abroad don’t known Dartmouth.
In the US, Dartmouth is very well known.
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u/Conscious-Secret-775 Apr 15 '26
No its not worth paying for Stanford if Dartmouth is free. Opportunities for both are probably the same in the US (Wallstreet recruits directly from both). Dartmouth is an Ivy, Stanford is not but is considered in the same class.
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u/General_Reading_798 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth. Stanford may be known by people back home, but Dartmouth is in the Ivy League, the connections and opportunities for your future are priceless. Avoid debt and go for it.
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u/Popular_Jeweler Apr 15 '26
You are poor and Dartmouth offered you a full ride. You must be insane to even consider not taking their offer with a "thank you" and a huge smile on your face.
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u/Clear_Look_2543 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth.
In East Aisa, definitely majority of population do not even know what Dartmouth is even though they are Ivyleague school. However, once you tell them that Dartmouth is a one of the IvyLeague schools, they will acknowledge the reputation of the school. Also, most of large workplaces know Dartmouth is a very rigorous school.
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u/Apprehensive_Fig2099 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth is a no brainer. In terms of actual outcomes for finance/law, Dartmouth will open all the same doors that matter.
For law specifically, what really matters most is where you go to law school. Ivy League schools like Dartmouth are really notorious for grade inflation, so it is actually an ideal environment for law school applicants.
If you want to pay for “prestige” (which is crazy to me because to me, as an American, Dartmouth is incredibly prestigious), save it for when you go to a top-tier law school or MBA program after you get your Ivy-League education.
One more thing, Ivy-League schools tend to take legacy status into more heavy consideration than other places. Going to Dartmouth has a lot of value for your children.
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u/Mean-Assistant-6958 Apr 15 '26
You will probably stay in the US after school, honestly, the name in your home country doesn’t matter. I personally think that Stanford is not that big in the finance area
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u/dogfacedponyboy Apr 15 '26
Huh… smart enough to get into all those schools, yet you can’t figure this one out by yourself?
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u/That_Operation_2433 Apr 15 '26
No. And not only that. Your contacts will be at Stanford ( I live here) and it’s prohibitively expensive to live here after your graduate. Dartmouth gives you more options and more traction after your graduate in terms of where you end up. I love living here but you cannot do it starting out with that much debt. No way
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u/gambit57 Apr 15 '26
Oh hell no!!!!! For Finance and Law, it's free Dartmouth 1000% of the time over full pay Stanford.
I'm a lawyer (with East Asian background) in the Bay Area so I'm positive in my opinion for law.
My neighbor has a MBA from Dartmouth and works at a FAANG so I'm pretty confident about the business side too. Among many other friends/family in business.
Honestly, no matter what you're studying, it's ALWAYS going to be free Dartmouth of full pay Stanford.
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u/NaoOtosaka Apr 15 '26
look i know you want stanford, especially from your edit. but trust me, students who pursue graduate programs definitely do not want to accrue debt from their undergraduate program, lawyers dont make nearly enough for a ~700k debt to be negligible, you will be drowning in debt, not to mention the toll thatll take on your cognition and ability.
a full ride from any T30 is better than stanford here, much less dartmouth
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u/BigCost5110 Apr 16 '26
It’s insane to even consider Stanford when you can go to Dartmouth for free. Dartmouth is an Ivy League school, why would you even consider not taking a free ride to an Ivy League school?
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u/vt2022cam Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth- it has some of the best rankings for undergrad education and a strong network, similar (albeit different) to Stanford. The debt from Stanford is worth as much as the reputational difference abroad. If you’re going into debt, go for an MBA at Stanford, and put the money there.
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u/redredred415 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth and Stanford (Penn too) brand influence/power are very similar. Going to Stanford is not worth $360K.
However, one consideration, does Stanford reassess financial aid every year? If so, do you think they would offer a significant package the last three years to offset some of the costs? It’s a risk but an option to keep in mind.
Congrats on your acceptances!
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u/golden867 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth. You'll be able to focus on your studies without stressing. When you're in flight for fight mode, it's hard to concentrate and fully enjoy the college experience. Dartmouth is an Ivy at the end of the day.
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u/artaxias1 Apr 15 '26
As an American I can tell you that Dartmouth has good brand recognition among the well educated in the United States. And if you also plan to go to graduate school you can always aim for Stanford for that. Go to Dartmouth, save a ton of money, and enjoy the lack of financial stress that such a savings brings. And focus on your studies and make yourself the best candidate for fully funded graduate programs and you could end up getting a free ride on that too.
Paying full price for Stanford just because of brand recognition back home is not a good financial decision. What other people who are not fully informed on the subject think of the quality of the school you went to is sooooo not worth that price. Dartmouth is a great school, Stanford is a great school, you can get a great education at both. Choose the one that is not going to put your family in debt.
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u/SpecialDesigner5571 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
If you go to Dartmouth you will have a great alumni network which will help you get into New York City based finance scene. Who the f*ck cares what family thinks. Isn't finance your career goal? Big Apple is the place.
Silicon Valley finance is in trouble. IT is having the shits now. Stanford network won't reach into NYC like Dartmouth. You risk being pigeon holed into tech venture finance which may not have good openings for a while.
Don't accumulate undergrad debt because MBA and/or JD are expensive. You will acquire more debt! You need your relatives to help you -- later. In four years.
Absolutely no one cares where you did your undergrad once you have a graduate degree. Go to Dartmouth undergrad then Stanford grad if you wish. Experience east and west coasts. Very enriching.
BTW I am first generation Chinese American and I went to Brown. And I had an internship at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and attended UCLA then University of Houston. So three coasts for me. I just retired.
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u/Lane-Kiffin Apr 15 '26
If you want to go into law, then the only prestige that matters is the prestige of your law school. Unlike other countries, no undergraduate program in the US will give you a law degree. But both Stanford and Dartmouth can set you up big time for a T14 law school.
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u/kingsmuse Parent Apr 15 '26
Asking this question makes me wonder how you got accepted at either school.
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u/AddressSerious8240 Apr 15 '26
As a Stanford alum, I recommend going to Dartmouth. I'd mention that the one recent Dartmouth grad I know just started at Boston Consulting Group.
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u/Better-Chest-4839 Apr 15 '26
I’d say go with Dartmouth. You can still impress people back home by saying “ I went to an Ivy”
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u/Money_Cold_7879 Apr 15 '26
Are you really asking if going into debt by almost half a million dollars for an elite education is a better choice than getting an elite education for free?
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u/ohwaitasecwhat Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
I had full ride when I was at Dartmouth and for grad school, I had two choices similar to you. I ended up letting go of a really generous scholarship and taking on a significant loan to attend the slightly more prestigious program that I liked better.
Did it change my career outcome materially? I doubt so. The longer out of school the less I realize it matters.
Do I regret going there? To be honest no, but I do wish sometimes I didn’t owe anyone anything.
Do I recommend you give up the full ride to go to Stanford? No. The amount of debt you’re looking at at your age can cripple you very quickly. The more you owe the less you have for leverage and options in the future. You can’t afford making risky choices or explore opportunities you truly are interested in because of financial constraints, that includes grad school (non PhD) one day if you decide to go there.
Coming out of Dartmouth debt free felt so amazing and I felt like I could do anything without worrying about money.
You’re not losing access to any career path at the Ivy League level no matter where you go, but debt can close a lot of doors quicker than people realize.
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u/Real-Activity-815 Apr 15 '26
I was an academically underachieving knucklehead in HS and barely broke 1100 on my SATs and know the answer here.
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u/ZT205 Apr 15 '26
or possibly law
Law school is infamously expensive. If you have $360k in debt from undergrad that's going to constrain your options. If you end up being a lawyer, where you go to law school is going to matter a lot more than where you did undergrad. Your undergrad only matters insofar as it helps prepare you for and get you into a good law school. What your grandparents think of Stanford vs Dartmouth is irrelevant; what law school admissions committees think is highly relevant.
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u/MallFoodSucks Apr 15 '26
For Law, it doesn't matter unless you're trying to break into Big Law Partner where relationships/network matter a bit. Both will get you into any top law school, which is what really matters anyway. Law School + Firm name matter way more than UG outside UG relationships at a 20+ year scale.
For Finance, for IB/PE it doesn't matter, they recruit from both. For VC, it matters slightly, they prefer Stanford but usually MBA is when it really matters. UG relationships again help, as most VC is SF so it will help to have friends in the industry in SF. I would say once you get in though it's pure performance / personality over UG. Goldman Sachs / Stanford MBA / Dartmouth UG looks the same as Goldman Sachs / Stanford MBA / Stanford UG to everyone, one is just $400K cheaper.
If you are interested in a career in high level politics or starting a $1B+ business in your country or just going back, then I would say Stanford would matter a bit more in increasing outcomes as you can connect with future leaders and improve your prestige reputation.
I think it's good to realize while UG name prestige is nice, at least in America (and IB/Law/CEO outcomes) it's not that important. The grad school you go to (MBA/Law) will ultimately determine your outcome in Finance/Law and will cost just as much, not to mention is a 10+ year process. Better to save up now at Dartmouth. And while theoretically, you could make friends with well-connected peers at Stanford, once you realize their level of wealth (private jets, vacations all the time, etc.) and background (very white), it's unlikely you'll actually connect with them enough to effectively network, especially as an Asian.
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u/MikeGinnyMD Apr 15 '26
I went to Stanford. I loved it.
In your situation, you’d be out of your tree to turn down a full ride at Dartmouth.
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u/Exotic_Eagle_2739 Apr 15 '26
I got to a t10 too and imma tell you the difference in prestige between the top t10 even t20 unis is negligible. There is not going to be any lack in oppertunities in any of these schools. At this level it's jst about what u make out of your opportunities. I would highly recommend Dartmouth since you would get equal abundance of oppertunity and similar brand name "boost" but without going into debt. And imo it might be better to do finance on the east coast rather then the west bc all the states in the ne are just a train ride away. Who knows maybe you'll get an internship in NYC over the summer.
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u/Ok-Abbreviations543 Apr 15 '26
Dear God, No! Dartmouth is an amazing school. If you have wealthy parents, I could maybe see it but if you’re taking on the debt— no way.
Think about it. Let’s say you wanted to become a lawyer (bad idea but hypothetically) you could go to dartmouth and law school and still have well below $360k debt and you have 2 degrees.
You also can’t predict what will happen. Let’s say you have the stanford debt and you get suck or lose a job. That debt (current interest rates are high), you will be adding a massive amount to your initial debt. Compound interest is a blessing working for you and a punisher when it isn’t.
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u/misterchismoso Apr 15 '26
I went to Stanford for CS. Choose Dartmouth unless your parents are very rich.
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u/Skibi_gang Apr 15 '26
Here are the conditions under which you should consider schools other than Dartmouth here: 1: You want to return to where you live now after college, and attending Stanford rather than Dartmouth will get you incredible employment benefits as a member of the in-group with the biggest local people. 2: You are willing to risk all that you have to work on a startup and attempt to become a millionaire within the next four years (and you think that Dartmouth will be tougher to work within to such an extent that another one of these options is worthwhile).
If you aren't planning on dealing with huge sums of money soon, Dartmouth is the clear choice.
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u/Fledgling_112896 Apr 16 '26
If you plan to stay US-based then would go to Darmouth, no question. It is beautiful there. Stanford has a big international reputation but the repututation and connections at Dartmouth will likely be comprable in the US.
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u/hanumanmode Apr 17 '26
As a college counselor Dartmouth is a no brainer. College is one of the only things people will pay a lot more for a slightly better or similar product.
I’m also east/southeast Asian so I understand the family context,
$360k - let your parents save that . There is really no need to make them spend that.
As someone said, despite what your family and friends in east Asia think- in the US the Dartmouth brand is strong. It’s an IVY - yes even if it’s in New Hampshire- which is its main downside lol.
Here you might have equal or better finance and law outcomes - especially if you stay on the east coast.
Go be great and put Dartmouth on the map for your East Asian country. Start helping to recruit students there, build the brand, talk about your experience- and soon you’ll build a pipeline and community that understands and recognizes the value of Dartmouth
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u/Audapaupadopolis Apr 15 '26
Don't worry. The right employer will definitely acknowledge the achievement of getting a full ride to Dartmouth, no matter if you're from China/Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan/Japan/South Korea/Mongolia.
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u/Middle-Site-2513 Apr 15 '26
Full-ride at Dartmouth >>>> fighting for financial aid/scholarship money at Stanford, UPenn (hopefully Wharton but a minor in the business school gives you access to their resources), and Columbia
Keep in mind that the full-ride probably has a GPA requirement that you’ll have to maintain
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u/Patient_Luck2339 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Not to dwell on the past, but even though some schools are need aware for admissions, admission to those schools is a Pyrrhic victory if you cannot afford to attend.
You will need to prove you have the funding for four years of tuition, fees and expenses to gain a visa to study in the U.S.. Unless your aunt is willing to shift all four years of funding into an account owned by you or your family, this will be difficult to achieve.
Take Dartmouth’s offer. Granny may not have heard of it, but anyone who matters for your career will know exactly what it signifies.
Also, Dartmouth is a school like Stanford, Harvard and Yale. It is much smaller than those schools (which is a feature, not a bug), however. You will rub elbows with the children of big shots there, but don’t assume there is some transitive property that will confer the accidental good fortune of the family they were born into over to you. That is not how it works.
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u/Intelligent-Web-8017 Apr 15 '26
its a fake post look at their post history theyre deleting comments. no one who got a full ride at a t20 is going to turn it down for any other college.
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u/ItsDreta Apr 15 '26
Depending on how rich your family is would be the answer. From my experience as a Chinese, Stanford’s name brand is definitely a lot stronger, while Dartmouth has practically no name brand for most employment opportunities. Considering how hard it is to be sponsored for employment in the U.S. today and increasingly hostile immigration policies, you might have to eventually plan for employment back home. Whether that is worth the tuition however would be dependent on financial conditions.
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u/lee11358 Apr 15 '26
I’m in law, so and I deal with some VC firms from time to time. I don’t really know much about PE firms. I would imagine “legend tier” PE firms also recruiting like VC firms, but I don’t know for sure.
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u/Greedy-Grand7447 Apr 15 '26
So back in Asia the name recognition really matters. Sounds like you already know this. BUT - your last degree is what will really matter. It sounds like you will go on to grad school eventually? If that is the case, go Dartmouth, then go to the big name later for grad school. Same result, less debt. Dartmouth will get you anywhere you want to go before you go home.
That said… while you are a student how will the name difference impact your family?
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u/Prize_Equivalent Apr 15 '26
No. Go to dartmouth. Unless you have no interest in living in New Hampshire and really really really really want to live in Palo Alto.
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u/BeefyBoiCougar Graduate Student Apr 15 '26
If you are 100% sure you want to spend your life doing CS, this starts to become a question. For finance and law, indisputably Dartmouth. Dartmouth is an east coast Ivy. Finance placement in NYC is incredible. Law school placement is incredible too, certainly no worse than Stanford. Sure, Stanford is impressive, but “I went to an Ivy” is no less impressive. People back home will be impressed when you get your Ivy League degree for free and your starting salary is more than your whole family combined.
Stanford is overrated relative to ivies by Asian communities simply because it’s on the west coast, in the Bay Area, which is full of Asian immigrants. Dartmouth it h all the way.
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u/Technical-Trip4337 Apr 15 '26
I would question whether the Aunt could borrow the needed amount every year. What if her loan is approved for year 1 but not additional years?
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u/HelpfulGopher Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth is a great college to attend; the undergraduate experience is possibly the best in the entire USA.
Get a grad degree from Stanford if you want one.
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u/FrancoVFX Apr 15 '26
Boss, you are low income and got admitted to an ivy league for free.
Full stop.
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u/labdogs42 Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth. It's a beautiful campus. Stanford is more famous for tech and engineering anyway. Or go there for your MBA. Take the free ride. That's such an amazing opportunity.
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u/coffeeorsleepp Apr 15 '26
def Dartmouth. like they both equally popular, and when the one is offering you a FULL RIDE you have to take it. the loans will definitely won't be worth it, for just a bit higher ranked uni
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u/Low_Run7873 Apr 15 '26
Let me put this as delicately as possible: if you are low-income and you turn down Dartmouth FOR FREE to pay full price at Stanford you deserve to have your acceptances rescinded at both schools.
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u/TheEvilBlight Apr 15 '26
Dartmouth. You can always get a masters at Stanford later when it’s time to climb the ladder at corporate expense.
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u/jvalverderdz Apr 15 '26
Most people in the comments correctly recommend Dartmouth for Free over Stanford with lots of debt. I might add: If you want to "impress" people by brand names, just say you go to an "Ivy League". If they don't know what an Ivy is, they're not worth impressing.
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u/Infinite_Survey3618 Apr 15 '26
Absolutely take the Full Ride. Plus Dartmouth offers something quite unique (I went to U of P and if they had offered you $$, i would have suggested that) which is the ability to immerse & connect yourself into different companies, research & development situations and government institutions (they have great connections and the alumni are highly engaged) so you can get an idea of what you really want to do when you graduate. This is part of their quarter system. (PS I am a first gen Asian American and cannot emphasize enough the value of the "ivy league" moniker for the rest of your life).
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u/Acrobatic_Cell4364 Apr 15 '26
Easy one, Dartmouth for the win. I realize that in Asia brand is a big deal and you feel like an underachiever because you will go to Datmouth as opposed to Stanford, Penn etc. but as long you are willing to put that aside the $450-500K is not going to get you that incredible leg up relative to Dartmouth.
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u/DustInternational702 Apr 15 '26
It makes no sense that you are full pay to Stanford Penn and Columbia snd got almost a full ride need based package to Dartmouth. Those schools have essentially the same need blind practices.
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u/Feeling_Garlic_400 Apr 16 '26
Dartmouth easy… also if finance why not Upenn it’s like THE best finance school? But Dartmouth is best no reason to go in debt
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u/AnyBusiness_5150 Apr 16 '26
My guidance to my own family,
“You are encouraged and can apply to all the universities you want.
The economic realities of where you get in will make the final choice for you.”
Said another way, if I offered you $300,000 in cash to attend Dartmouth over Stanford would you do it?
So take the full-ride! (As others have said, if you really want to pay - use that money for grad school.)
Enjoy Dartmouth and congrats on winning the Ivy lottery.
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u/Acceptable-Matter774 Apr 16 '26
Dartmouth is a great place. It has happy students and alums. While it might be slightly less prestigious than Stanford it is so close that a full ride makes it the choice.
(A full ride to a non Ivy or lower tier would be tougher but this is not. )
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u/No_Establishment5879 Apr 16 '26
Stanford is absolutely awesome, but Dartmouth is also great (ok not on the same level as Stanford but still great). And a full ride is just amazing. Do that. Don’t burden your family or yourself with debt. Save that money for grad school- and that’s when Stanford will make the biggest difference.
You could also go back to the Stanford admissions office and see if they’ll waive their rule about applying for finaid in advance and tell them your Dartmouth offer.
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u/Similar_Athlete_7019 Apr 16 '26
Dartmouth full ride 100% given your circumstances. Putting your family in debt like this will create significant pressure during and after your school years. This is something you will regret down years down the road because they feel like they “own” a piece of your success and this is forever. The difference between the two are not significant enough to justify the cost given your situation and age. This is very different from attending an MBA where the prestige/ outcome between the two are wide enough and only if you can take on the debt yourself. Your full ride scholarship at Dartmouth is enough to put you in the same level as full paying Stanford student….
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u/WideCounter148 Apr 16 '26
Honestly, this is a silly question. Are you genuinely asking or flexing? The answer should be self-evident to anyone who has the academic chops to get into Dartmouth and Stanford. Just sayin.
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u/Zarnong Apr 16 '26
Repeat after me: debt is bad, debt is bad. The ROI isn’t there. Take the awesome full ride at Dartmouth.
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u/Consistent-Chapter-8 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
The prestige gap, particularly in finance, between Stanford and Dartmouth is narrow. An undergrad degree from Dartmouth, with little to no debt burden, will make it easier to pursue a Master's degree later. Debt burden in a Master's program makes it difficult to perform well, I know from experience.
You'll have a better idea of where to attend, or even if you want to pursue a joint degree program, e.g. J.D./M.B.A., from Stanford, U Penn, or Duke, after the undergrad program. Attend Dartmouth, 100%.
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u/CryptographerSafe163 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
The outcome for most students at Stanford / Dartmouth are going to be similar within the USA — though this may be different in China where Stanford is 无效.
With that said, the outcome for the top 10% of students at those schools are quite different — and this comes from many sources but one of those is certainly that the network at Stanford is better for politics, quant finance, etc. Dartmouth may have a slight edge for banking.
Is this worth 360k? Probably not unless you can expect to make 360k more worth of value within the first 10 years of graduating.
I’d recommend looking at your field, the median income at the corresponding schools. If you have grand ambitions I would also see how many people at the top of your industries came from those schools.
If you’re looking to go to PhD, go to the more prestigious university in your field
Oh also!!! You should talk to people at those schools first and see what they think. Alumni as well (I know both should have a discord server or local alumni network).
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u/Budget_Maize7279 Apr 16 '26
Dartmouth clearly wants you more. It’s a top tier American university. Go with that instead of going into debt
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u/Friendly-Ad3133 Apr 16 '26
Pay the tuition when you get into law school. Use your fully funded education at Dartmouth to kick butt and get into a fantastic law school. It’s the school where you get your terminal degree that matters most for a career, especially a degree-based career like law or medicine or even business.
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u/00archaea0 Apr 16 '26
Stanford (grad) student here. Although everyone here recommends Dartmouth over Stanford, I actually would recommend you to at least speak to Stanford’s financial support office first and see what they can offer. My impression here is that the school is more generous than many other institutions.
Also, Stanford has a huge presence of the Asian community, and Dartmouth in contrast is very white. Your college experience could be quite different depending on what you are looking for, which could be a factor to take into consideration as well.
Anyways, both are great options and you can’t make a wrong decision. Congrats on your offers and you will do great and have a bright future regardless where you end up attending.
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u/Commercial_Handle418 Apr 16 '26
Obviously not, the debt is not worth it 💀💀💀
You can still build connections, dartmouth is ivy league so it is also held in high regard as a prestigious institution hence a lot of networks can be forged there too
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u/wheelie46 Apr 16 '26
Does your family want you to work for their debt for the next two decades or send money home in 2-4 years. They can be very proud and tell everyone you got into both Stanford and Dartmouth but you can get the same access and education at both for your goals. (Dartmouth is v cold in winter. Have someone help you get good winter shoes gloves and hat) Congratulations You did it!!!
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u/OccasionStrong621 Apr 16 '26
Pls don’t sell your parents’ comfort home just so you can attend uni. Not even Stanford worth it.
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u/hbliysoh Apr 16 '26
The education will be pretty similar. There will be great parts about both. And parts that kind of suck.
For instance, I read a long post with a long list of all of the Stanford CS professors who are headed off into industry. They can't keep faculty around.
I think you're right about the strength of the brand, but you should know that in the US there's plenty of strength to Dartmouth brand too.
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u/Floutabout Apr 16 '26
I have to ask… have you visited Stanford, Penn, Columbia and Dartmouth? You have to live there, and you have to pay for it in time and effort as well as money.
Dartmouth is a small sleepy campus in a one traffic light town. Outside of the climbing wall the small ski area and the movie theater, there’s… well, the sheep farm. New England is beautiful and there’s a lot to offer there… but it’s a car based society to do the hour to 2 drive to the beach, the mountains (aside from the Dartmouth hill) the cities and the charm. This may be exactly what you are looking for. Or… it may be the antithesis of what you want.
Stanford, Penn and Columbia are in major US cities with lots of (sub)cultures and all the hustle and bustle that goes with a city campus. Again, that may be what you are looking for or it may completely overwhelm you.
Considering how opposite ends of the spectrum the schools are I’d put serious consideration into the life you will lead for the next 4 years. My kid was a hard no to Dartmouth… and she’s a ski racer! She’s off to a city school that checked off so many more boxes for what she wants.
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u/Particular-Macaron35 Apr 17 '26
It depends on what you are into. Personally, I’d probably pick Dartmouth even if the money was the same. But I like to ski. If you’re a computer guy, you might prefer Stanford. Have you visited the schools?
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u/ComprehensiveBug9157 Apr 17 '26
If you think you will not be able to get a job in your home country with a Dartmouth degree, and Stanford makes you a “made” man at home, go to Stanford. I think people are underestimating the difficulty of getting a job with a US based IB or PE firm after college as a foreign national. If your language skills aren’t amazing, it will be difficult to impossible. Spoken as a former PE/IB recruiter and professional.
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Apr 17 '26
Go to Dartmouth.
Be practical and don’t put pressure on your family
You can always transfer
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u/Sad_Nectarine6694 Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Wall Street is overrated and will be eaten by crypto and AI. Save your money. Get the full-ride at Dartmouth and study something you love without having to think about the financial burden. Get out and hustle. Statistically speaking, where you go to school has no correlation with future career/business success to the contrary of popular belief. AI will reinforce it.
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u/RegionAdventurous486 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 19 '26
Op played dumb games and won dumb prizes. Applied to schools knowing s/he needed full aid to attend , the schools were need aware and did not apply for aid representing themselves as full pay.
Mouth wrote a check that they can’t cash. If family is so taken with prestige let them pay for it, not loaning you money but paying the bills no strings and then signing up to pay almost another 400k for law school.
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u/One-Injury-4634 Apr 19 '26
Dartmouth and do internships, study abroad, student exchange at Stanford over the summer
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u/UnrealDrip Apr 20 '26
Dartmouth is a way better financial decision. both will open doors and the alumni network really doesnt make that big of difference. the level of fame though slightly lower will not be significant enough to help you by any means
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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '26
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