Is New Jersey Institute of Technology or UNSW Sydney cheaper for an MS?

New Jersey Institute of Technology (MS Data Science) is the cheaper of the two: about ₹97.6L against ₹1.21Cr, counting tuition plus living costs for the full programme.

Which pays back faster, New Jersey Institute of Technology or UNSW Sydney?

New Jersey Institute of Technology (MS Data Science), at roughly 2.5 years against 5.3 years. Payback here is the years of extra savings needed to cover the total cost, after destination tax and living costs, compared with staying in India on a ₹8 lakh baseline. It is before loan interest.

Which has the better post-study work visa, New Jersey Institute of Technology or UNSW Sydney?

New Jersey Institute of Technology (MS Data Science), and this is national immigration policy rather than anything the university controls: New Jersey Institute of Technology is in USA, a strong pathway, UNSW Sydney is in Australia, a moderate pathway. Visa rules change, so confirm against the relevant government site before deciding.

Comparison

NJIT vs UNSW

MS Data Science · Newark, NJ vs Master of Data Science and Decisions · Sydney

Last reviewed: 2026-10-01

Short answer: New Jersey Institute of Technology (MS Data Science) is the cheaper program overall, reports the higher starting salary, pays back fastest against the standard ₹8L India baseline and currently has the stronger post-study work / visa pathway. So one programme wins on every measure here. That is worth knowing and it is still not the whole decision - none of these figures speak to your admit odds, and a specific lab, supervisor or city can outweigh all of them.

	New Jersey Institute of Technology	UNSW Sydney
Country	USA	Australia
City	Newark, NJ	Sydney
Duration	18 months	24 months
Total cost	₹97.6L	₹1.21Cr
Avg. starting salary	₹87.1L/yr	₹58.2L/yr
Payback period	2.5 yrs	5.3 yrs
Visa pathway	Strong	Moderate
Min. GPA (4.0 scale)	3.0	2.9
Test requirement	GRE not always required; IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL 79 typical among admits	IELTS 6.5
Consultant-oversold flag	Yes - our editorial flag	Yes - our editorial flag

New Jersey Institute of Technology: the honest note

Popular, relatively easier admit; ROI depends heavily on individual job search effort in a competitive NY/NJ market. Salary figure is NJIT's own reported average for MS Data Science grads - note the small sample (13 salary reports, Class of 2024; 19 reports at $93,253 for Class of 2023). Post-OPT H-1B conversion has also gotten harder for entry-level hires since 2026 (see visa risk flag).

UNSW Sydney: the honest note

Widely marketed by agents; Sydney's cost of living and the 2026 485-visa tightening both cut into ROI - verify actual placement rates independently.

How payback is calculated

Payback = total program cost ÷ (annual savings abroad − annual savings staying in India), where savings are salary minus destination tax and a year's living cost. It is before loan interest. The India side uses a ₹8,00,000 baseline salary, taxed, minus India living cost. The baseline rises for IIT/NIT-class graduates, which lengthens payback for those students on both programs above. Full formula and worked example in the payback period guide.

Sources

New Jersey Institute of Technology: Tuition & admissions: njit.edu, ds.njit.edu · Salary: NJIT Career Development Services Outcomes Report, Class of 2024 - avg starting salary, MS Data Science, N=13 ($91,323), njit.edu/careerservices · Visa: USCIS STEM OPT policy · Wage-weighted H-1B lottery: USCIS final rule, effective Feb 27, 2026, uscis.gov. H-1B $100,000 fee: Presidential Proclamation of Sep 19, 2025; vacated by the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Jun 8, 2026; stay pending appeal denied by the First Circuit on Jul 24, 2026 - not currently enforceable, appeal pending. Proposed $103,265 fee on cap-subject petitions: DHS notice of proposed rulemaking, Federal Register 25 Aug 2026, DHS Docket USCIS-2026-0298 (RIN 1615-AD20) - proposed only, comments close 24 Sep 2026 (checked 2026-08-27)

UNSW Sydney: Tuition: unsw.edu.au, studyonline.unsw.edu.au · Salary band: Glassdoor / Indeed / PayScale / ZipRecruiter (Jul 2026) · Visa: Australia Subclass 485, homeaffairs.gov.au (2026 rules)

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Related comparisons

What should you check next?

You have narrowed this to two. These are the questions that decide between them, in the order they usually bite.

1
Do you clear the published admission bar at either one?
Converts to the 4.0 scale and lists which verified programmes' published minimums that value clears. convert your CGPA.
2
Are you reading the acceptance rate as an admit chance?
Across 35 programmes, QS rank and the published GPA bar correlate at -0.16 - the selective-looking school often asks for less. why that number misleads.
3
What does the loan actually cost month to month?
Turns the total cost above into an EMI against a starting salary, which is the number that decides whether payback is survivable. run the loan numbers.
4
Which one fits your profile, not just the averages?
Scores both against your own GPA, budget and priority, and shows where your shortlist contradicts itself before asking for anything. run the free assessment.

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