Ranking Study Abroad Countries by ROI in 2026: Part 2

Part 1 of this series covered Germany, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA. Germany won on pure ROI. The USA had the highest upside with the most risk. Every country in between came down to your field, your budget, and your post-graduation plan.

Part 2 covers six countries that come up constantly in conversations with Indian students but rarely get the honest, numbers-first analysis they deserve. The same scoring system applies.

How the ROI Score Works

Each country is rated out of 10 on three combined factors:

• Total cost: Tuition plus living expenses for the full degree
• Post-graduation salary: What employers actually pay fresh graduates in your field
• Post-study work and immigration pathway: How long you can legally stay and earn

A cheap country with no jobs scores low. An expensive country with excellent salaries and a long work visa scores high.

1. Singapore, ROI Score: 8/10

Singapore punches well above its size. Expensive and competitive, but for the right student in the right field, the returns are difficult to match anywhere in Asia.

Why Singapore scores high:

• NUS (QS #8 globally) and NTU (QS #12 globally) carry real weight with employers across Asia, Europe, and the USA, not just regionally
• Starting salaries of SGD 4,000 to SGD 6,500 per month (approximately Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs.4 lakh) are realistic for strong graduates in technology, finance, and engineering
• Singapore is the Asia-Pacific headquarters for a large proportion of the world's major multinationals; the professional network access from day one is exceptional
• The Employment Pass pathway for skilled professionals is well-established and consistently administered

Note: The Long-Term Visit Pass or the graduate Employment Pass route has no fixed job-search window in the same way Australia or the UK does; it depends on converting to an Employment Pass with a job offer.

Reality check:

• Tuition at NUS and NTU runs SGD 17,000 to SGD 40,000 per year, approximately 10.5 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh
• Living costs are high; most students budget SGD 1,500 to SGD 2,500 per month
• The job market is excellent in quality but small in volume
• Students using Singapore as a stepping stone to a larger country find that transition harder than expected

The one-line verdict: The best ROI destination in Asia for students targeting multinational careers in finance and technology.

(Currency note: 1 SGD = Rs.73.32 as of April 21, 2026. Always verify the current rate before making any financial decisions.)

2. Ireland, ROI Score: 7/10

Ireland is the most underrated high-ROI destination for Indian students right now. Most students have not researched it, which is exactly why this matters.

Why Ireland scores well:

• Dublin is the European headquarters for Google, Meta, Apple, LinkedIn, and Salesforce; for students in CS, data, and business, this employer concentration in one small city is unmatched anywhere of comparable size
• An Irish degree carries recognition across all 27 EU countries, a far larger opportunity pool than Ireland alone
• The Third Level Graduate Scheme gives non-EU graduates two years of post-study work authorization, one of Europe's more generous windows. This is 24 months for postgraduate (Master's and PhD) graduates; undergraduate (Level 8) graduates receive 12 months.
• Tuition ranges from €10,000 to €25,000 per year, lower than the UK and significantly lower than the USA

Reality check:

• Dublin's accommodation market is expensive and competitive; students who do not plan early pay a real price
• Outside Dublin, costs are considerably lower; UCC, University of Limerick, and University of Galway are strong options
• Ireland's total job market is small in volume; targeting multinationals specifically gives a much better experience than targeting smaller Irish firms

The one-line verdict: The best-kept secret in European study abroad, especially for tech, business, and data students wanting EU access at a lower cost than the UK.

(Currency note: 1 EUR = Rs.110 as of April 21, 2026. Always verify the current rate before making any financial decisions.)

3. France, ROI Score: 6/10

The headline numbers look excellent. The reality for Indian students is more nuanced, and that nuance changes the ROI calculation significantly.

Why France has real advantages:

• French public universities charge approximately €2,770 per year for most international students,  one of the lowest tuition rates in any developed country
• The Grandes Écoles, HEC Paris, Sciences Po, ESSEC, École Polytechnique are globally recognised institutions whose graduates are taken seriously in consulting, finance, and engineering worldwide
• The French Tech Visa and post-study pathways are improving year on year
• France is one of the world's largest economies with active hiring in aerospace, luxury, engineering, and consulting

Reality check:

• Most public university programs are taught in French; professional integration without strong French is genuinely difficult regardless of degree quality
• English-medium programs at the Grandes Écoles cost €15,000 to €30,000 per year or more
• Strong ROI if you graduate from a grande école with employer access. Weak ROI at a mid-tier public university without French fluency
• The score sits at 6 because the gap between these two outcomes is wide

The one-line verdict: Strong ROI for French speakers or Grandes Écoles students,  average ROI for everyone else.

(Currency note: 1 EUR = Rs.110 as of April 21, 2026. Always verify the current rate before making any financial decisions.)

4. New Zealand, ROI Score: 5/10

Beautiful, safe, and welcoming. Also, honestly, one of the lower-ROI destinations when the numbers are laid out plainly.

Why students choose New Zealand:

• Quality of life is excellent in smaller cities, with a clean environment, and a relatively straightforward visa process
• Post-study work rights of one to three years are available depending on degree level and institution
• Tuition is moderate, NZD 25,000 to NZD 45,000 per year (approximately Rs.13 lakh to Rs.24 lakh; 1 NZD = Rs.53.50 as of April 2026; always verify before making financial decisions.

Reality check:

• Graduate salaries are reasonable within New Zealand's own cost of living context but lower in absolute terms than Singapore, Australia, the UK, or Canada
• The job market is concentrated in agriculture, healthcare, tourism, and construction,  not the technology and finance sectors most Indian graduates are targeting
• PR pathways have tightened in recent years and are less predictable than they once were
• Using New Zealand as a global career stepping stone is harder than students expect

The one-line verdict: Right for students genuinely committed to building a life in New Zealand, limited ROI for students with broader global career ambitions.

(Currency note: 1 NZD = Rs.54.88 as of April 21, 2026. Always verify the current rate before making any financial decisions.)

5. Japan, ROI Score: 5/10

Genuinely surprising advantages for students willing to look carefully, and one structural barrier more significant than anything else on this list.

Why Japan has real appeal:

• Tuition at Japanese national universities is approximately JPY 535,800 per year,  approximately Rs.3.1 lakh at current rates
• The MEXT scholarship covers full tuition and living costs for selected students,  one of the most generous government scholarships available to Indian applicants globally
• Japan has a severe, well-documented labour shortage in technology, engineering, and healthcare; graduates willing to stay are increasingly welcomed
• The Specified Skilled Worker visa and Highly Skilled Professional visa have been meaningfully expanded in recent years

Reality check:

• Most professional employment in Japan requires Japanese language proficiency at JLPT N2 level or higher; this is not a soft requirement
• Students who arrive without Japanese skills find themselves excluded from the majority of the job market regardless of their degree quality
• Starting salaries for fresh graduates are lower in absolute terms than comparable roles in Singapore, Australia, or the UK
• Japan rewards long-term commitment deeply; the ROI falls sharply for students who are not prepared to make that investment

The one-line verdict: Exceptional ROI for students committed to Japan and the Japanese language long-term, limited ROI for everyone else.

(Currency note: 1 JPY = Rs.0.59 as of April 21, 2026. Always verify the current rate before making any financial decisions.)

6. China, ROI Score: 4/10

Some of the lowest tuition and most generous government scholarships on this list, as well as an ROI picture complicated enough to need saying plainly.

Why China has specific advantages:

• CSC scholarships cover full tuition, accommodation, and a monthly stipend at Peking University, Tsinghua, and Fudan, all globally ranked institutions
• Self-funded tuition is moderate,  approximately CNY 20,000 to CNY 50,000 per year (approximately 2.4 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh at current rates)
• A Mandarin-proficient graduate from a strong Chinese university is genuinely competitive for roles in international trade, supply chain, and China-market business development

Reality check:

• A Chinese degree carries limited recognition in India, the USA, the UK, and most European hiring markets; employers simply do not evaluate Chinese credentials the same way
• Post-study work pathways for international graduates wanting to stay in China are more complex than comparable destinations
• Geopolitical factors affecting India-China relations add real uncertainty around visa processing and long-term career planning that cannot be ignored
• The ROI case for China is specific and genuine,  only for students who know precisely what they are choosing and why

The one-line verdict: Real ROI for Mandarin-proficient students targeting China-market careers and low ROI for students expecting broad global credential recognition.

(Currency note: 1 CNY = Rs.13.71 as of April 21, 2026. Always verify the current rate before making any financial decisions.)

Want to Know Which Country Actually Fits Your Profile?

Reading both parts gives you the framework. Making the right decision for your specific situation, your field, your budget, and your long-term plan requires a direct conversation.

Book your free counselling session with Leap Scholar today and get a straight, personalized answer on which destination gives you the best realistic return, not a sales pitch for any particular country.