Websites that compare tuition rates for graduate school?

Question

I was wondering if there is a website (maybe something like US News that you have to pay for) that would compare tuition costs of various universities.

Answer 1

I've never heard of such a website, and I direct a graduate program.

I don't think there would be much of a demand for such a site, since students usually do not pay any tuition costs when they are in graduate school. Instead, they choose programs in this way:

Students look for programs with faculty who specialize in their specific area of interest (both in terms of data and in terms of methodology), and then apply to all programs that have scholars that work in that field (or employ that method) in order to maximize their chances of being awarded fellowships or assistantships. These awards carry full tuition remission, as well as a small living stipend.

For example, in the program I direct, in 5 of the last 6 years, 100% of our grad students were supported by these awards.

Students usually decide which program to attend by weighing the reputation of the program against the amount of support they are offered. Most students choose to "follow the money," but some few students choose the schools with the highest ranking, regardless of the level of support they receive. These latter students must take out massive amounts of loans, and therefore, very few students choose this route. But even students such as these would have very little use for such a website, since they are concerned with the ranking of the program rather than its tuition cost.

This system does not apply to medical schools, law schools, business schools, or schools of education or social work, however. Perhaps there are websites that would compare tuition costs between institutions in those fields -- I have no idea.