Do IIIT Hyderabad students go abroad for a master's?

Rarely. In its NIRF 2025 submission, IIIT Hyderabad reported 11 of 188 B.Tech graduates selected for higher studies in 2023-24 - under 6% - alongside a median salary of Rs 32L and 94% placement. NIRF's higher-studies field includes domestic postgraduate study as well as study abroad, so the true overseas share is lower still.

Is an MS abroad worth it if I already earn Rs 30L in Hyderabad?

The bar is much higher than most comparisons admit. A two-year master's costs the tuition and living expenses plus two years of foregone earnings at that level. Against a Rs 32L median, the combined cost of leaving can exceed Rs 100L before the degree earns anything, which is why so few graduates at that salary level go.

Where do Hyderabad students attend their US visa interview?

Hyderabad has its own US Consulate General, covering Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Applicants in India are also not restricted to their home-state post and may book at another consulate, and biometrics can be done in a different city from the interview. Check the official US Embassy India site for current policy and availability.

Guide · Hyderabad

Choosing an MS consultant in Hyderabad: two very different situations

Last reviewed: August 3, 2026

We do not rank, rate or name consultants. This is about knowing which conversation you should be having before you walk into one. We take no commission from any university.

Hyderabad is not one market

Advice written for "students in Hyderabad" is nearly useless, because two cohorts in the same city face arithmetic that points in opposite directions. Here is what the institutions themselves filed with the government.

Institute	Median salary	Placed	To higher studies
IIT Hyderabad	₹21.00L	76.7%	37 of 399 (9.3%)
IIIT Hyderabad	₹32.00L	94.1%	11 of 188 (5.9%)

Source: each institute's own submission to NIRF India Rankings 2025, Ministry of Education, academic year 2023-24 - IIT Hyderabad, IIIT Hyderabad. Transcribed 2026-08-03. NIRF mandates a median, not an average. Its higher-studies field includes domestic M.Tech, MBA and PhD alongside study abroad, so the overseas share is lower than the figures shown.

If you are in the high-median group, the bar is brutal

IIIT Hyderabad filed a median of ₹32L with 94% placed - and only 11 of 188 graduates going to higher studies at all. That is not an accident of preference. It is the arithmetic.

A two-year master's abroad costs tuition and living expenses, and it also costs two years of not earning. At a ₹32L median, the foregone earnings alone approach the fees. The degree then has to out-earn a career that was already compounding from a high base. A handful of programmes clear that bar. Most do not, and no amount of ranking prestige changes the sum.

If a shortlist handed to you does not engage with what you would have earned by staying, it is not a shortlist built for your situation.

And a squeeze worth seeing before you decide

IIT Hyderabad shows something the brochures have not caught up with yet. Its median held steady, but the share of the cohort actually placed moved sharply:

2021-2288.4% placedmedian ₹20L · 21 to higher studies

2022-2391.8% placedmedian ₹21L · 17 to higher studies

2023-2476.7% placedmedian ₹21L · 37 to higher studies

Placement fell from 91.8% to 76.7% in a single year while the number going to higher studies more than doubled, from 17 to 37. That is the fallback pattern appearing in government data: when placements tighten, further study absorbs the difference.

It is worth naming plainly, because it cuts both ways. Going abroad because the job market tightened is a legitimate decision. It is just a different decision from going because the degree pays back, and only one of those two survives an EMI.

What to ask, either way

“Do any universities on my list pay you a commission when I enrol? Which ones?”

A good answer: names them plainly. Commission is legal and standard - a good consultant discloses it without being defensive.

A weak answer: "That doesn't affect my advice" without saying which schools pay. The point isn't whether it affects advice - it's whether they'll tell you.

“If every university paid you exactly the same, would this list change? What would you add or remove?”

A good answer: engages with the hypothetical and defends the list on your profile and outcomes.

A weak answer: dismisses the question or repeats the same list without reasons tied to you.

For a high-median profile, add one more: what am I giving up by not working for these two years, and does your recommendation account for it? Opportunity cost is the single largest number in a Hyderabad decision and the one most often left out of the comparison entirely.

The complete set, with how to read each answer, is in the national guide.

One practical Hyderabad detail

Unlike most Indian cities, Hyderabad has its own US Consulate General, covering Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka - so the default post is local. Applicants are also not restricted to their home-state consulate and may interview elsewhere, and biometrics can be completed in a different city from the interview.

We will not quote wait times here; they change weekly and would be stale before you read this. Check the official portal rather than a timeline someone has assumed on your behalf.

Source: U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India - Visas, checked 2026-08-03. Consulate policy changes; verify before relying on it.

Find out which situation you are actually in

The Honest Scorecard compares each programme on your list against what you would realistically earn without it - the comparison that decides a Hyderabad decision and the one most shortlists skip.

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