Loan basics
EMI stress meter: how much EMI is safe?Is a master's abroad worth the loan? Salary check
Last checked 26 October 2026
A starting salary is only one part of a loan decision. Check the source, the take-home pay and what happens if the first job is late.
US starting salary projections
US employer survey, 8 October to 30 November 2025; projections for Class of 2026 master's graduates. The figures are projections, not confirmed pay offers.
| Subject | Class of 2026 USD | Previous USD and change | Approximate INR per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | USD 86,563 | USD 77,632; up 11.5 percent | About Rs 82 lakh |
| Engineering | USD 92,873 | USD 94,086; down 1.3 percent | About Rs 88 lakh |
| Computer sciences | USD 94,212 | USD 84,960; up 10.9 percent | About Rs 90 lakh |
1 USD = Rs 95.1, as of 23 October 2026. This rate will move. INR amounts are approximate gross annual conversions, not take-home pay.
Read the NACE press release. Last checked 26 October 2026.
We have no sourced starting-salary figure for Germany, UK or Canada yet and will not guess.
How to read a starting salary
Gross salary is before tax and deductions. Take-home is what reaches your account. A rupee conversion of a US salary is not money left after rent, food and other living costs. Compare EMI with monthly take-home, not a gross yearly headline.
A subject-wide projection does not tell you whether a particular course leads to a job, how long your job hunt will take, or what work your visa allows. Check the programme's evidence and official visa rules. No course, salary or visa outcome is promised here.
2 year and 5 year view
We only have a starting figure. We have no sourced five-year salary figure, so we do not show one. Nor do we turn a starting projection into a two-year pay forecast by assuming raises or continuous employment.
For a two-year planning view, write down the monthly take-home you expect, your living costs, the EMI from the calculator and how you would cover a job search gap. For a five-year view, revisit those same items as actual pay and costs become known. Keep future pay rises as an assumption, not a sourced fact.
Try the calculator's Bad scenario: the first job comes 9 months later and salary is 70 percent of the amount you enter. This is a stress test, not a prediction. Use the monthly salary you want to test and read the EMI stress result alongside your own expenses.
Test your loan EMIA 5-step checklist for testing any course
- Check the exact course, university, tuition and living costs. Do not treat a subject-wide salary projection as a course outcome.
- Ask what evidence the programme has for starting salaries, which graduates it covers and whether it includes international students.
- Estimate monthly take-home after tax and living costs, not just gross annual salary. Check your visa and work conditions on official sites.
- Enter the loan amount, rate and repayment period in the calculator. Compare monthly EMI with the take-home you expect.
- Test the Bad scenario and discuss a delayed job with your family and lender before accepting an offer. Ask how you would pay expenses and EMI during the gap.
See Universities & Courses for sourced destinations, ranks and course choices. Rank alone does not answer whether your loan is affordable.
Frequently asked questions
Are these salaries promised to Indian students?
No. NACE reports employer projections of starting base salary for US master's graduates in general. These are not promised earnings for an Indian student on a visa.
Can I use these figures for Germany, UK or Canada?
No. We have no sourced starting-salary figure for those countries yet and will not guess.
Why is there no five-year salary figure?
We only have a starting projection, not a sourced five-year figure. Use a planning method instead of assuming future pay rises.
What does the calculator's Bad scenario assume?
It assumes the first job comes 9 months later and salary is 70 percent of the salary you enter. It is a stress test, not a forecast.
Related guides
Sources
- NACE: Salaries Expected to Climb for Class of 2026 Grads Despite Flat Hiring. US employer survey, 8 October to 30 November 2025; projections for Class of 2026 master's graduates. Last checked 26 October 2026.
- Exchange-rate sources and calculator assumptions. USD rate as of 23 October 2026.
General information, not financial advice. Confirm costs and written loan terms before you decide.