Royanne Ng, a Singaporean student, turned down an offer from Columbia University due to its nearly $80,000 tuition fees and opted instead for a master's program in cultural data and AI at the University of Amsterdam for a fraction of the cost. Ng emphasized the importance of making a strategic decision for her postgrad degree, aiming to enhance her job prospects in Singapore. While Columbia offered significant prestige, Ng concluded that the high costs and shifting considerations in international education made her decision to pursue a more affordable, relevant program invaluable.
The Singaporean student turned the Ivy League program down and chose one across the Atlantic instead for a fraction of the cost.
Ng also applied to NYU but wasn't accepted, and she ultimately dropped her application to the University of Edinburgh in the UK.
Ng said she valued relevance and cost over Ivy League name recognition.
The US once had a near-monopoly on elite higher education. But as tuition rises, safety concerns grow, and political rhetoric turns hostile toward international students, the calculation is shifting.
#graduate-education #cost-of-education #international-students #career-prospects #columbia-university
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