Business Schools  A Talk with Dartmouth's Financial Aid Director
Our guest on Feb. 5, 2002, was Elizabeth Roberto, manager of
human resources, training, & development -- and also the
financial-aid officer -- for the Tuck School of Business at
Dartmouth College (No. 16 on BusinessWeek's 2000 Top 30 B-school
list). Roberto was named director of financial aid in July,
1999, after working in the office since 1984. She was
interviewed by BusinessWeek Online reporter Mica Schneider.
Here's an edited transcript of their discussion:  Q: Upon
graduating in 2001, the average Tuck MBA had $46,850 in debt.
How long does it take grads to pay back such loans? Does that
much debt hinder someone's ability to purchase a home, or to
make other large investments after graduation?  A: The majority
of students pay it off in five years. That's an indication that
they're getting good jobs. Our institutional loans, which are
funds loaned out by the Tuck School, must be repaid in 10 years,
but most graduates do it in five to seven.