Hypothetical scenario: accepted into NYU with no scholarship (total cost of approx. $70,000) or University of Florida with a scholarship (total cost approx. $15,000), is NYU still the best option???

Tax LLM?

Sorry, yes a for a Tax LLM.

If you are planning to practice in Florida or thereabout or if you are planning to go into a family business or if you are planning to return to a third-world country (sorry for being blunt but honest) where the whole concept of studying in the USA is already a great achievement, then save the money and go to Florida. In all other cases try to get alternative funding as Florida is perceived a bit of a party school (alongside UCLA and, for some reason, Boston)

@nbrown40: Where are you from? Where do you intend to practice?

I am from the US and currently live in the New England. I would be open to working anywhere.

(alongside UCLA and, for some reason, Boston)

@nbrown40 I am currently a 3L at the University of Florida and have some familiarity with the Graduate Tax Program. I think where you want to practice is the cruicial question you need to answer in making this decision. As a JD student, I have noticed that a majority of the employers that recruit at UF (over the past 2 years) have been from North and Central Florida. Therefore, if you are not opposed to working in Orlando, Tampa, or Jacksonville, saving the money by going to UF may be the best option. UF is also one of the only tax programs that has a full-time tax faculty as opposed to adjuncts. Some students like having professors that have been teaching for awhile rather than practioners who have not (I have taken a few tax classes and the professors are great). Hope this helps. Best of luck with your decision.

- Josh
www.taxdocket.com

Florida has been ranked either 2nd or 3rd in the country for its tax LL.M. for a very long time. It is a top program for LL.M., Taxation and graduates work all over the country and are recruited from firms all over the country. The J.D. program isn't as highly ranked and it's J.D. graduates mostly stay within state.

J.D. programs and LL.M. programs don't have equivalent reputations at the same school.

NYU is the best for a tax LL.M., hands down. But you'd do fine with UF or GULC - after that, the programs' reputations for a general tax LL.M. decline rapidly.

My advice would be to consider how important saving money is to you. Do you plan to go big firm or government? What projections do you have for your future income and how will that extra debt affect your future?