Is an MS in the USA really worth investing in for an Indian? The expenses to be covered while pursuing an MS is a huge amount, especially for middle-class Indians who rely on bank loans, scholarships, or TA/RA to cover the expense.?

Hello there. Being a middle-class Indian student myself I can understand what you mean. Just the tuition of USA programs is enough to think twice. Investing in a degree in the USA, especially an MS degree is certainly worth it. Even with such a high cost of education, you get the return on investment to cover for it.

As long as you are getting a good return on your investment, it is worth it. I can see some debates that it may not be worth comparing to some countries. But even in those situations masters are country dependent. Europe is definitely better for MIM programs. But if you consider business, CS, engineering, supply chain management etc., USA takes the throne. So, the USA is the overall answer for studying abroad.

The graduates from top universities in the USA usually pay off all their debts in less than 4 years, in some cases three. And by the way, you do get student loans easily these days. An Indian student is at least eligible for some kind of scholarship. And let's not forget that student loans work in favor of students. Banks usually give more than enough time for you to land a job and start paying back.

I know that it does not make everything simpler so that you can apply to a top university in the USA. Even the cost of living in the USA is significant. But I can justify this point by considering all the benefits you get out of it. Like big ROI, better job opportunities, good international exposure and degree recognition.

And the most underrated point in the favor of the USA is the employment rate. Have you checked program records on official pages of USA based universities? Even B-tier programs show 80-90 percentile employment rates. The top ones go above 95%. And these are all under a 3-6 months period. And as I mentioned, student loans are not bound to be paid this early after graduation. It does seem worth it to me.

Is this all you wanted to know or do you have some other concerns?