2027 edition · 14 fully sourced programmes · updated 2026-10-04
MS Payback Index 2027
Which MS abroad pays back fastest for an Indian student? Every programme below has its cost, salary basis and visa rules sourced and dated. Programmes we can only estimate are left out until they are verified.
Read this first:payback here is the years of extra savings needed to cover the total cost, after destination tax and a year's living cost, compared with what you would save staying in India on an ₹8 lakh baseline. It is before loan interest, and living costs are visa minimums, so real payback is a little longer for most people. Treat the exact years as a floor. Full method.
What the data shows
- Fastest payback: Georgia Institute of Technology (MS Computer Science), 0.9 yrs. Slowest: University College London (MSc Data Science), 6.2 yrs.
- The cheapest programme is not the best deal. Arizona State University's MS Computer Science (Online) costs the least in the index (₹14.3 L) and ranks #10 of 14 on payback.
- UK and Australian programmes in the index take a median 5.4 yrs to pay back, against 1.8 yrs for the USA, Canada and Germany. The degree costs a median 1.8 times the starting salary there, against 0.8 times elsewhere.
- The 5 programmes we flag as commonly oversold by commission-driven consultants (our editorial judgment, not a statistic) have a median payback of 3.6 yrs, against 1.7 yrs for the other 9.
The index
| # | Programme | Total cost | Starting salary | Payback | Visa pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Institute of Technology MS Computer Science · USA | ₹59.3 L | ₹1.32 Cr/yr | 0.9 yrs | Strong |
| 2 | Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign MS Computer Science · USA | ₹84.3 L | ₹1.10 Cr/yr | 1.6 yrs | Strong |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University MS Computer Science · USA | ₹1.02 Cr | ₹1.24 Cr/yr | 1.6 yrs | Strong |
| 4 | University of Toronto MS in Applied Computing (Computer Science) · Canada | ₹50.5 L | ₹63.9 L/yr | 1.7 yrs | Strong |
| 5 | University of Waterloo MMath Data Science · Canada | ₹48.0 L | ₹61.8 L/yr | 1.7 yrs | Strong |
| 6 | RWTH Aachen University MSc Data Science · Germany | ₹32.7 L | ₹54.4 L/yr | 1.8 yrs | Strong |
| 7 | San Jose State University MS Data Analytics · USAcommonly oversold | ₹83.7 L | ₹90.6 L/yr | 2.0 yrs | Strong |
| 8 | New Jersey Institute of Technology MS Data Science · USAcommonly oversold | ₹97.6 L | ₹87.1 L/yr | 2.5 yrs | Strong |
| 9 | Technical University of Munich MSc Computer Science · Germany | ₹61.0 L | ₹63.1 L/yr | 2.6 yrs | Strong |
| 10 | Arizona State University MS Computer Science (Online) · USAcommonly oversold | ₹14.3 L | ₹12.0 L/yr | 3.6 yrs | None |
| 11 | University of Manchester MSc Advanced Computer Science · UKcommonly oversold | ₹65.3 L | ₹40.7 L/yr | 5.1 yrs | Moderate |
| 12 | UNSW Sydney Master of Data Science and Decisions · Australiacommonly oversold | ₹1.21 Cr | ₹58.2 L/yr | 5.3 yrs | Moderate |
| 13 | University of Melbourne Master of Computer Science · Australia | ₹1.11 Cr | ₹54.2 L/yr | 5.5 yrs | Moderate |
| 14 | University College London MSc Data Science · UK | ₹78.4 L | ₹48.3 L/yr | 6.2 yrs | Moderate |
Rupee figures at the exchange rates stated in the dataset. "Commonly oversold" is our editorial judgment of which programmes are heavily marketed by commission-driven consultants relative to their outcomes; it is not a statistic. Each programme's sources are in the open dataset.
By country
USA
1.8 yrs
median of 6 programmes
Canada
1.7 yrs
median of 2 programmes
Germany
2.2 yrs
median of 2 programmes
UK
5.7 yrs
median of 2 programmes
Australia
5.4 yrs
median of 2 programmes
Small samples: UK 2, Australia 2, USA 6, Canada 2, Germany 2. Read country medians as direction, not verdict.
How it is built
- Total cost: published tuition plus a stated living-cost estimate for the full programme, converted to rupees.
- Starting salary:the university's own published graduate salary where one exists (Georgia Tech and NJIT); a market salary band for the role and country everywhere else. The dataset says which, per programme.
- Payback:total cost ÷ (annual savings abroad − annual savings in India). Savings are salary minus destination tax and payroll contributions minus a year's living cost; the India side uses the ₹8 lakh baseline, taxed, minus living cost. Years of extra savings to cover the total cost: salary abroad after tax and a year's living cost, compared with what you would save staying in India. Before loan interest. The baseline is higher for IIT and NIT graduates, which lengthens payback for them on every programme.
- Who is in it: only programmes where cost, salary basis and visa rules are all sourced. The 356 universities elsewhere on the site use tiered estimates and are left out on purpose.
For journalists, creators and researchers
- Data: CSV and JSON, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Each row carries its own sources and check date.
- Please credit: "TruthPathMS MS Payback Index 2027, truthpathms.com", and keep the "before loan interest" caveat when quoting a payback figure.
- Related: what universities pay consultants per student, with sources, in the commission calculator.
- Questions, corrections or a newer source: hello@truthpathms.com. TruthPathMS takes no money from universities, agents or lenders (full disclosure).
What should you check next?
An index is an average. Your own marks, budget and background change the answer.
- 1
What pays back fastest for you specifically?
Matches programmes to your marks, budget and goals and shows payback using your own college tier. run the free assessment.
- 2
Is your consultant paid by the universities on your list?
Sourced figures on what universities pay agents per student, by country. see the commission ranges.
- 3
How do two programmes compare head to head?
Cost, starting salary, payback and visa runway, side by side. the verified comparisons.