What makes Ivy League degrees so valuable? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Kristen Moon, Founder & CEO at Moon Prep | Forbes Contributor, on Quora:
For the class of 2026, the University of Pennsylvania had an acceptance rate of 6.5%. Yale University accepted 4.6% of its applicants. The Ivy Leagues are incredibly challenging to get into each year, with many acceptance rates lowering each year due to the increase of applicants. With so many students fighting over a few coveted seats, what makes Ivy League degrees so much more valuable?
Networking
It’s no secret that Ivy League schools take great pride in their alumni network. This can be extremely helpful to a new graduate who can tap into that network for a job or interview. Even before graduating, students can use that network to find an internship or gain other valuable skills.
Money Spent On Students
Unless you get a full ride of an Ivy League school due to financial need, you are likely paying more for your education than students at non-Ivy schools. Even though students pay more, it does seem like they get more out of it as well, and the elite school pays 7.75 times more on each student than at second-tier schools. That means an Ivy League school pays $92,000 per student compared to just $12,000 at other schools.
Resources
When attending an Ivy League school, students have access to some of the best professors and researchers in the world. Most of these professors are actively engaged in various research projects. At these schools, new theories are constantly being explored, helping students to expand on their studies further.
Earning Ability
According to a survey by Payscale that ranked the earning potential of alumni ten years after graduating, Princeton is at the top of the list. However, Dartmouth College (8), University of Pennsylvania (10), Harvard University (11), Yale University (16), Columbia (38), Cornell (40), Brown (41) were close behind.
Career Paths
Some people might take a second look at your resume when they see that you graduated from an Ivy League school. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley recruit heavily from UPenn to help fill their entry-level positions.
Does having an Ivy League degree mean that you will automatically be successful? Of course not, no. But it can help you get a leg up and make great connections.
This question originally appeared on Quora – the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
