Depending on the field the student is entering, $80-100K could be a fair price--even a bargain--for that network. For students interested in politics or business (especially entrepreneurship!), having the right name on their CV can open doors, earn preferential financing, and get deals done that might never otherwise have been made. Within the programs I've attended, there is a surprisingly open and supportive network of support within the alumni community. I can literally contact anyone who has ever attended the programs with the reasonable expectation that I will be given air time, which I think is an amazing asset.

Case in point: I attended a speaker session hosted by a CEO of a tech start-up. Chatting with him after the discussion, we discovered a common undergrad background (albeit about 15 years apart). Moments later, he was making an e-introduction for me to a friend of his who also attended the school and could help me with a start-up I'm working on.

Is the same network worth $80-100K for a literature or modern languages student? Probably not.

What is to give light must endure burning.