Universities
Is it worth paying more for a prestigious university?
Usually less than families assume. The landmark Dale & Krueger studies — confirmed by Chetty's 2023 work using federal tax data — found that students who attended more selective colleges did not earn more than equally capable students who attended less selective ones. The prestige premium is mostly the student, not the school. Prestige does have measurable value for access to elite finance, consulting, and law networks — but not for most other paths.
ETH Zurich charges about CHF 730/year and ranks in the global top 10 — proof that price and quality are not the same thing. A near-free German degree can deliver better five-year ROI than a £200,000 UK degree once you account for cost.
The Gallup-Purdue Index found that specific experiences — a professor who cared, a mentor, a semester-long project, an applied internship — predict graduate wellbeing and engagement far more powerfully than the selectivity of the institution. The question isn't 'is prestigious better?' but 'is the premium worth it for my child's specific goals?'
Reviewed by Priscilla Han. BrightKey is independent and takes no payment from schools or universities. Editorial standards.