Cost of MS in USA is a significant factor to consider before opting to pursue master's in USA. The average tuition fee for MS in USA ranges from 20,000 to 65,000 USD (16.50 to 53.62 lakhs INR) per year depending on the university and field of study.

Cost of MS in USA for Indian students require budgeting for accommodation, food, travel, personal expenses along with the MS tuition fee in USA. The cost of living in USA for MS students roughly sums around 43 to 48 lakhs INR per annum. The accommodation cost in USA, which ranges from 9,600 to 20,400 USD (7.92 to 16.83 lakhs INR) per annum.

The cost of pursuing MS/MSc degrees is relatively less than the cost of MBA in USA for Indian students. However, this cannot ensure that expenses involved can not burn a hole in your pocket. Understanding the components of the cost of MS in USA for Indian students can help you avoid certain damages made to the pocket and not end up with tons of loans to be repaid by the end of your degree.

Overview of Cost of MS in USA for Indian Students

Cost of MS in USA for Indian Students: Entrance Exams

Before you can move to the US to pursue MS education, scores of standardized exams to study in USA needs to be submitted. These include IELTS/ TOEFL/ GRE, GMAT among others. Based on which exam you choose to give your overall expenses vary. Though the difference is not very high, certain exams cost less than the other.

Cost of TOEFL for Indian Students

The TOEFL exam is accepted by more than 11,000 universities worldwide and is the most commonly accepted ELP test in US universities. Majority of the students appear in the TOEFL iBT exam with only a few students appearing in the TOEFL PBT exam. The cost of registration for TOEFL is 14,200 INR. Students can register via their ETS account or via the official TOEFL app up to 7 days before the test date. TOEFL offers 4 scorecards free of cost after which students need to pay 1500 INR (approx) for each additional scorecard.

Cost of IELTS for Indian Students

IELTS is another commonly accepted ELP test conducted by the British Council. The cost of registration is 14,700 INR. In case the student wants to retake the exam he/she has to pay an additional 14,000 INR. Upon appearing for the exam students may request up to 5 free scorecards.

Cost of GRE for Indian Students

A majority of US universities offering MS degrees require students to submit a valid GRE score. GRE scores are valid up to 5 years and students may register online, by phone or via mail. Students may retake the GRE exam up to 5 times in a period of 12 months.

Cost of MS in USA for Indian students will remain incomplete without incorporating the cost of these entrance tests that play a crucial role in your MS applications.

Application Cost of MS in USA for Indian Students

In order to apply for admission to US universities students have to pay an application processing fee. The application fee ranges from 3,700 to 12,000 INR (50 to 150 USD) or above and is non-refundable in most cases.

Most students apply to at least 3-5 universities while applying to graduate school. Therefore your total cost of admission may be well over 22,000 INR. Additionally, some of the universities in US require students to send in a hardcopy of their application material. In this case, you have to spend additional charges on the courier. The cap on the postal packets is around 10,000 INR.

If you are applying for masters courses like architecture, fine arts, etc, consider adding another amount to this application costs. This is the cost of submitting your portfolios through slideroom. Well varying as per the number of portfolios involved, the cap around this is 5,000-10,000 INR.

Student Visa Cost of USA for Indian Students

Once you have received the Form I-20 from your university in the US stating that your place at the university has been confirmed you need to apply for a visa. Indian students heading to the US mainly apply for the F-1 or the J-1 student visa.

The SEVIS fees or F1 visa fees add on another 25,000 INR (~360 USD) to your expense to travel to the US. This is the only one-time expense that can not be excluded at all or cut down on.

Applying for your student visa for the USA includes not only a high application fee but also includes the hassle of going through a stringent requirements process.

(SEVIS fee for the J-1 student visa is 16,720 INR)

Overall we have already added some up to 80,000 and we are yet to take off for the USA. This gets us to another major component of the costs of MS in US for Indian students, which is the airfare.

Airfare Costs from India to USA

The cost of your flight ticket will vary based on a number of reasons such as your departure and arrival location, how close to your travel date you are buying the ticket and which airlines you are flying with. On average, flight tickets to the US cost somewhere between 50,000 INR to 1,00,000 INR for a single trip.

Let us take this to an average of 75,000 INR. Now we know that even before a student leaves for the US he/she will be spending 1,55,000 INR. These are the aspects of the cost of MS in USA for Indian students that will only vary slightly. For example your overall application costs will vary based on the number of schools you apply for, airfare will vary depending on the choices you make. The remaining expenses will remain the same.

All this is when you DIY the complete process. Considering that you choose to take help from a counsellor to study abroad, add on another 10,000 to 50,000 INR to your current expense list.

Post-arrival Cost of MS in USA for Indian Students

Once arrived, expenses like tuition, residence, lifestyle make up the Cost of MS in US for Indian students. Universities located in big cities such as New York City, California, Chicago etc have significantly higher costs of living. You lifestyle choices are another contributing factor to the expenses you will experience when studying in the USA.

Tuition Cost of MS in USA for Indian Students

The tuition cost of MS in USA at some of the top universities are listed below:

Cheap Universities to Study MS in USA for Indian Students

For students on a budget, there are a plethora of affordable universities in USA. A few of the universities requiring comparatively affordable tuition fees for masters in USA are listed here: 

Though these are the tuition fees involved for pursuing MS in US, but these may vary depending on the assistantships, scholarships or other funding aids that you may receive.

Wish to cut down your tuition fees? Find out more on Scholarships to Study in US for Indian Students! 

Cost of Living in USA for Indian Students

Planning to study abroad includes arranging funds for your living expenses such as housing expenses, food expenses, travel expenses, shopping expenses etc. When you think about how costly studying in the US can be, the miscellaneous expenses made out of your lifestyle choices are the ones that make the major difference.

Housing Expenses in USA for Indian Students

Your house rent will make up the most sizeable amount of your expenses outside tuition. The amount you spend on rent depends on a number of factors such as the location of your institute, personal preferences etc.

If you are living in rural areas, the cost of renting a one bedroom apartment will be around 44,000 to 44,500 INR. In big cities like Boston, the cost of renting the same apartment will be 2,22,000 INR and above. Some of the budget states to live in US:

Cost of MS in USA for Indian students does not end with residence, there are certain additional expenses that one must keep in mind and be ready to take care of. These are discussed in the following sections.

Other Study Cost of MS in USA for Indian Students

Besides rent, your additional expenses will include the cost of utilities, food, travel, heal insurance etc.

Utilities- Your rent may not cover the cost of essential utilities such as electricity and internet. You should budget around 11,000 INR per month for electricity charges. Internet services cost an additional 3,699 INR per month.

Food- Groceries cost approximately 29,000- 44,000 INR per month. If you live on campus and subscribe to a meal plan it will cost you approximately 18,000 INR per month.

Books and Stationary- The cost of stationary ad study materials is an annual expense and you should budget approximately 59,000 INR to 74,000 INR for it.

Overall we have discussed each aspect of the cost of MS in USA for Indian students. An Indian student spending two years in the US will be spending around at least 50 lakhs to study in the US. You must also note that these costs are calculated at the exchange rate 1 USD = 74 INR.

Considering the high cost involved, pursuing an MS in USA can be financially difficult for many Indian students. Applicants should therefore check out the various scholarships available in US universities. Need-based and merit-based scholarships are made available by universities, individual departments and also external agencies. Students may also consider an educational loan for their higher studies.

Also Explore:

• Scholarships for Indian students in USA
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• Scholarships to Study in USA
• Education Loans To Study in the US

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