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Cost and value
₹40 lakh, three countries: a CS master’s in Germany, the UK and Canada
Same student, same subject, three invoices. The payback is not the QS number. It is fees, how long you can stay and work, and whether the job needs a lottery.
Thursday, 27 August 2026 · Desk cost model + official visa rules · 6 min read
Take a computer-science master’s and a family in Pune that can put ₹40–50 lakh on the table, not ₹1 crore. In Germany a public-university file is living cost plus a blocked account: call it ₹20–30 lakh all-in, then 18 months of full work rights. In the UK a one-year MSc at a solid Russell Group name is about ₹35–52 lakh, and an 18-month Graduate visa for most students who start in 2026. In Canada a two-year public master’s is about ₹45–70 lakh, and a post-graduation work permit that can still lead to permanent residency.
The United States is a different price band. A two-year MS is often ₹55 lakh to over a crore. OPT and STEM OPT are the work product. H-1B is a lottery. It can be the right file for a student with an admit at a top-20 STEM school and a stomach for visa risk. It is the wrong comparison for a ₹40 lakh ceiling.
What this means: ROI dies in three recurring ways. One: a low-ranked UK or Australian taught degree whose brand cannot get the first interview. Two: a Canadian private college that is not eligible for a post-graduation work permit. Three: a US non-STEM master’s that gives one H-1B shot. A TUM or Delft letter is usually a better rupee decision than a decorative brand in a weak city.
Sources we used
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