Planning undergrad abroad? You should look beyond US

Countries like UK, Germany and Australia offer a more cost-effective path to global exposure

- Anil Poste

For Indian students who plan to pursue an undergraduate (UG) education abroad, the choice boils down not just to prestige and opportunity but a far more practical concern—cost. The US has long been the dream destination, but countries such as Germany, the UK, Australia and Singapore may offer a more cost-effective path to global exposure and career opportunities.

Mint previously analysed how the cost of pursuing a postgraduate degree abroad varies across countries. This article looks at the undergraduate landscape, comparing tuition fees, living expenses and the overall return on investment for an education in countries such as the US, UK, Germany, Australia and Singapore.

Let's start with the basics. UG programmes in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and management in the US typically cost around $36,000 and $35,000 a year in tuition, respectively, and living expenses average $18,000 a year. Over four years, that adds up to a hefty $212,000 to $216,000.

In contrast, a three-year undergraduate program in the UK costs about $123,000, and in Australia between $114,000 and $120,000, depending on the stream. Singapore is in the middle, with a four-year cost of $130,000. But Germany, with nearly zero tuition and average annual living costs of $12,200, offers the same UG degree at just $37,500—nearly a sixth of the US cost.

Prasanth Kumar Ragupathy is an automotive powertrain calibration engineer who studied in France. He said that beyond tuition and rent, insurance in countries such as the US can cost thousands of dollars—an expense that's often overlooked by students and parents. "You may think you're earning more in the US, but much of it goes into hidden costs such as insurance, healthcare and visa renewals," he said.