Is Studying Abroad Worth It in 2026? Cost, Jobs & ROI Explained | Kushal Lodha #335

➡ Recommend A Guest For Our Podcast Here - https://forms.gle/eotmhzWMx6KpJQH86 ➡ The 9:15 Club - India’s smartest young investors community: https://forms.gle/GyUiatVUJoUUkkcm6 ➡ Join This Group To Be Invited To Future Offline KwK Events in Mumbai: https://chat.whatsapp.com/F3MbHDPwTwC... In this eye-opening episode of Konversation with Kushal, Ashwin Damera - Harvard MBA graduate, CA ranker, and Co-Founder & CEO of Eruditus & Auris - sits down with Kushal Lodha to give you the most honest, unfiltered breakdown of MBA vs studying abroad in 2026 - the ROI, the real costs, the job market reality, and everything in between that nobody tells you. From a Harvard MBA that led to a ₹1 crore loan and a McKenzie offer he rejected, to building India's largest EdTech unicorn worth $3.2 billion, Ashwin brings brutally honest insights and data-backed advice for every student, parent, and professional in India. In this episode, you will learn: 1. Is an MBA still worth it in 2026? - Nikhil Kamath said "If you're 25 and going to an MBA college, you must be some kind of an idiot." Harvard MBA founder answers back with data. 2. Full ROI Breakdown - US undergrad costs ₹2.5 crore, UK costs ₹1.2- 1.5 crore, and now foreign universities in India for just ₹30- 60 lakhs - same degree, fraction of the cost. 3. Country-wise Study Abroad ROI - US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore & Germany compared - visa rejection rates, job market, work permit rules, and payback period explained. 4. Career Capital Formula - Intellectual Capital + Brand Capital + Social Capital = Career Capital. The exact framework Ashwin used to build a unicorn. 5. 3 Skills Every Student Must Learn in 2026 - AI Literacy, Soft Skills & Networking, explained in a way no school in India teaches. 6. How Foreign Universities in India Work - Same curriculum, same degree from home campus, 50% foreign faculty, semester exchange options, and scholarships up to ₹5 lakh. 7. Starting Salary Expectations : ₹15- 30 lakhs in India, ₹60- 72 lakhs if you transfer abroad, full data breakdown by discipline. 8. Biomedical Lab in Bangalore, AI Supercomputer in Mumbai - the most exciting facilities coming to India's new foreign university campuses. 9. EdTech Reality Check - Why most EdTechs failed post-2022, and why Eruditus survived at ₹4,500 crore revenue with ₹400 crore EBITDA. 10. Whether you're a 12th standard student deciding between India and abroad, a working professional eyeing an MBA, or a parent calculating ROI on your child's future - this episode will change how you think about education forever. 1-https://www.delhi.vu.edu.au/ 2- https://www.abdn.ac.uk/mumbai/ 3- https://www.iit.edu/mumbai 4- https://www.mumbai.bristol.ac.uk/ 5- https://www.mumbai.york.ac.uk/ 6- https://www.bengaluru.liverpool.ac.uk/ Don't forget to Like, Share, and Subscribe for more insightful conversations with top achievers from across India and the world! #MBAIndia #ForeignUniversitiesInIndia #StudyAbroadROI #IIMvsAbroad #CATExam2026 #AshwinDamera #Eruditus #KonversationWithKushal #KushalLodha #HarvardMBA #UniversityOfBristolIndia #MBAorNot #HigherEducationIndia #EdTechIndia #UndergraduateAbroad ➡ Order my book 'Acing CA' here: https://www.amazon.in/dp/8195816886?r... ➡ Order my book 'Unlocking Unicorn Secrets' here: https://www.amazon.in/dp/0143461605?r... Follow Kushal Lodha on Social Media: 📝 LinkedIn:   / kushallodha548   📷 Instagram:   / kushallodha548   📱 Twitter:   / kushallodha548   Follow guest on Social Media: 📝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashwindam... 📱 Twitter: https://x.com/ashwin_damera?s=21&t=Gp... Timestamp: 00:00 Intro 01:16 Things Changed in Last 2 Years 02:30 Ashwin's CA Journey 06:48 Is MBA at 25 a Mistake 10:36 Graduation in India vs Abroad 14:55 Best ROI Country for Education 18:56 Grad Cost in US, UK, Canada and Australia 24:24 Foreign University Comparison 27:00 Foreign Exposure Deep Dive 28:23 Top 100 Universities in India 34:12 Would He Send His Kids to These Universities? 37:11 Eruditus Role Deep Dive 40:28 Cost of Setting Up a University 42:02 7 Partner Universities Deep Dive 45:38 Comparison with BITS, IIT and Ashoka 54:22 How He Networks 57:46 Are Foreign Faculties Coming to India 01:02:01 Student Exposure — Foreign vs India 01:03:16 Are Foreign Students Coming to India? 01:04:25 Most Interesting Facility in These Universities 01:08:12 Most Interesting Subject 01:11:15 MBA at These Universities 01:14:18 MBA vs PGP Program 01:15:26 Top Skills to Learn in 2026 01:20:06 Scale of Eruditus 01:22:10 Most Challenging Phase 01:24:36 Eruditus Team Deep Dive 01:24:51 EdTech Phase in 2022 Deep Dive 01:27:54 What Would Mr. Ashwin Ask Himself? 01:32:23 Conclusion & Outro #kushallodha