Is it financially worth doing MS in US for a middle-class Indian who is going to come back and work in India?

The constraint that you are adding of having to return back to India and that too join a similar job is the tough one. I am sure you can get much more than 12-13 lpa when you get back but assuming you are right, it wont work. It will be a lossy venture. Coming to the overall point, if you can get to CMU, UCLA etc, then there is no reason you should work for a 12-13 lpa salary once you get back. Firstly, you can easily make $125,000 per year once you pass out of MS. You can easily finish off the 30 Lakh loan in 1-1.5 yrs. I know this because a close relative of mine is doing exactly that right now. If you can get to these top univs, you should go and take it up. And specialise in a super interesting field. There are lots of interesting things happening in computing today. Artificial intelligence is one such thing. Cyber security will grow big time with the huge explosion of the web based tools and everything going online. No shortage of new things to work on. And you will get to work on the best stuff when you are there in the top universities. I would say that you can take a great career for granted once you do that. I am also sure your mindset will be completely different once you finish it. You will not look back at this 12-13 lpa job at all. You can very well come to India though. There are many more things to do here. Being an entrepreneur, I can say for sure that given that knowledge you gain from such an MS, you can find great things to do here. The startup scene here is great too. So, starting your own venture (with 1 or 2 ppl) is a great option. Best would be that you start it there and then come down to India and operate out of here if you really want to be here. So, dont think too much. There is never a better investment than studying at a great university. Forget the degree too. Even if you dont collect your degree, you wont regret. Just one thing. Dont put these conditions of having to return to a 12-13 lpa job. You will realise that it is a very myopic view. Good luck. :)

Take the loan and do your MS in the right area - preferably in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning/Cognitive Computing. This area is prime for massive explosion and what you see in the market - Siri (Apple), Cortana (Microsoft), Google Now etc. - are what will be considered highly primitive AI tools in 5 more years.There are several other areas to consider for an MS in United States. Even if you don’t get in to MIT when applying from India, you can switch to MIT, Berkley or Stanford after getting to United States (the credits transfer, so you will be ok).When you get to your masters program, focus on understanding how to architect systems by using existing open source and paid technologies together - that skill alone will ensure you a six figure salary and will pay off your loan in a year or less.After you graduate, get a job in a startup in San Francisco Bay area - it’s where the action is, no matter what the east coast folks (ala Boston, New York.. ) may tell you :-). And of course, the weather rocks.

In my opinion, it would be better to get a masters degree from one of the IITs if you intend to work in India itself. You also get a stipend while doing a masters. The sum total after deducting fees is a gain rather than a loss at the IITs. I do not see any point spending 60 lakhs in the US only to come back here. After a masters from an IIT, you can easily get salaries well over 18 lpa considering your prior work experience as well.So I suggest that you strive for a masters here itself rather than go to the US if you intend to work in India itself.All the very best!

It is better doing it now instead of dreaming it in future. Choose it wisely and give your best shot. no wonder it will be a tough decision to leave India but coming back will be your own stance only. No wonder it is a better place to live, the question is - can you survive. People who have left india looks back towards relations - you may feel sad at times, but it is the way the world changes - you look for the better places and you move there. Life has to change anyway.

Everyone has told that you will get the decent job and will be able to repay the loan in 1 or 2 years . It all depends on whether you get H1B visa or not. it is a dicey situation. Now there are more people who apply for H1B .As a result you have to take into consideration that if you don't get the visa then you will have to return back and pay the loan amount in INR.  One of my friend landed in that situation.Also now the OPT extension is being challenged in USA.Take that into consideration.If you want to move ahead with the MS then keep loan amount as low as possible. You can also opt out for 1 yr course like MIS or data science which are less costly than CS or MBA degree.

My point of view is what are we going to do after pursuing Ms, a job or financial administration or returning here or staying there or our future prospects. After my intensive research and inquiry , I found students from India are fearing of such big invesment in study, but from my prospective, i say better go for it, Or still if you have any fears go for U.K, Australia,Switzerland. They also have colleges as of in top ten colleges in world. In public/state universities in USA, it costs 25PA and in Private it costs more than 35 lakhs http://PA.In U.K or Australia, it's better and stands at 20 lakhs PA

A bit of my back ground I belong to a middle class family. When I went to US for an MS, the only money I had was the education loan of 15L (in 2003). I managed to get an admission in a good university, paid the tuition for the first year and then got a RA for second year. I worked on campus for the first year to cover my living expenses in US. I did well in education and was hired by a good firm in US. I paid of my education loan in full in 3 years. I always wanted to come back to India. I made sure that I get good raise in the company every year through my performance. After 4 years I convinced my employer to send me to India and renegotiated my salary. In absolute terms, i took a pay cut from my US salary, however if converted to Indian rupees, I was earning a more than handsome money. Now my base salary is high enough and experience in broad enough to command a good position and salary in India. Based on the above experience, I think its very unwise of you if you are going to US only to earn a MS degree and pay off your debts. I would plan my return in a long term. So not only I would pay off my debts well in time, I will stay just long enough to make some more money and meanwhile find a good position back in India which can match my requirements. I would built my resume and experience in US which would allow me to negotiate a good salary from my Indian employer. In any case don't go to the states if what you mentioned is exactly what you are going to do, both in terms of your return period and amount of money you think you are going to earn after you come back. Further its hard for me to believe that you would be getting only 12 L after coming back. If you get into a good university, your education, experience and skills are way worth more than that and importantly there are employers in India who are willing to pay you handsomely.

I read the replies of others.Some want to go to US to show off their intelligence and some want to live frugally in the US and save money to pay loan and live decently in India and some want to quote Bill, Steve etc for comparison. Let me ask a question. Can any one of those going to US for MS appear for GATE, CAT and other competitive exams for high degrees in India and score between 98% - 100%. Or have they at least got School First or College First with Gold medal. In my opinion who go to US for MS are those who evade the competitive exams in India so that their incompetency is not exposed. Instead they pay enormous money for US education. Well, Bill and Steve have not got their MS. Lets say, how many of those who got MS became at least Bill or Steve. Those who get average score in GRE etc will get admission in US Universities which are also average or low in the Rank. Top Universities still require high scoring fro admission. If you are ready to pay you will get the admission with average score. In conclusion those who are going to US for MS are those who can not face the Competition in India. Otherwise India is promising now. Every Sector is opening the doors for Talents. And salaries are also not poor. You get excellent packages in India if you are ready to run the race. Otherwise you sit back and go to US for MS when somebody else pay for you.

If you can financially take care of the expenses needed, then go for it. Be prepared though when you go back home. You might become labelled as overqualified by some companies who will be unable to afford your rate with an MS but you can at least target large companies who are willing to pay much for education and experience. See this blog for more work related topics and advice, http://bitly.com/1omMNdz .