Woman who took Rs 50 lakh loan for master's abroad says biggest return wasn't money

A woman who borrowed Rs 50 lakh to fund her master's degree overseas has now shared her experience, offering a candid look at both the financial and personal sides of that choice. In a Linked In post, Dhruvi Mundra said she was not trying to convince anyone to take a loan or avoid one. Instead, she wanted to share what the experience actually felt like so others could make an informed decision.

She began by addressing the financial reality. Dhruvi who did her Masters in Analytics and Management from London Business School, said, London's job market was "brutal" after graduation. Things worked out in her favour because she made a deliberate decision to move to Dubai, where salaries for similar roles were much higher and the numbers made more sense financially. That move allowed her to repay the Rs 50 lakh loan in just a year and a half.

At the same time, she acknowledged that her experience is not universal. She said she has seen people take three to five years to clear similar loans, depending on the opportunities they receive, the city they work in and the job they secure. "There is no single answer," she wrote.

While salaries, loan repayment and career growth were all part of her original calculations, she said those were not the most important returns she gained from the experience.

"The person who landed in London for that masters was not the person who came back," she wrote. Living alone in a new country forced her to manage her finances carefully, build friendships from scratch and step into unfamiliar situations. She had to learn how to network, attend coffee chats with strangers and adapt to environments that initially felt uncomfortable.

Over time, those challenges changed her. She said courses encouraged her to experiment with entrepreneurship and pushed her beyond her comfort zone. "That transformation? I did not see it coming. It was not what I thought a masters would give me. And it is not something I can put a number on."

Looking back, she said she would make the same decision again. "100% yes," she wrote when asked whether the loan had been worth it. Even if repayment had taken longer or the job market had been tougher, she believes the year abroad gave her life lessons that could not have been gained elsewhere.

However, she also cautioned students against making such decisions based only on spreadsheets and salary projections. Before taking a large education loan, she advised speaking to people who attended those universities, understanding what opportunities the experience created and considering the emotional costs alongside the financial ones.

Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!