What do you exactly mean by middle class? The term is defined in terms of the location where you live in. If you are in rural area or let’s say small town in India, 50k per month will put you in upper middle class (Or in least cases “Rich”). With same salary if you live in Mumbai, you won’t be considered as upper middle class. If you are a single person, 50k in Mumbai puts you in upper middle class. If 4–5 people depend on that salary, it puts you in lower middle class.
How much does it cost to study in USA for bachelors? It depends. It ranges from USD 10k to 75k.
Abroad doesn’t mean only “USA”, there are many countries that offer high-class education and are less expensive. For example: New-Zealand, and many European countries. Australia is the most expensive country for bachelors especially if you are planning for any University in Sydney. Next expensive country is UK & then USA. Nevertheless, USA offers many Scholarships to the students while Australian and UK universities don’t.
So, what’s the average budget for bachelors?
USD 30k for tuition
USD 15k for miscellaneous.
Can a middle class student afford abroad education? Yes!
How?
You should plan. Many universities offer full scholarships too. You need to do research. For example, KAIST offers full scholarship as well as living expenses.
Education loans: Don’t recommend it normally. But, yeah, if you are in extreme financial crisis, I don’t have a word here.
So, should I drop my idea of studying abroad? Opportunities are unlimited. You can go for PhD. Most of them are funded by Universities, and they will pay stipend too.
