Are Overseas Degrees actually worth it for Nepali Students?

The most defining sound of modern Nepal isn’t the bustle of New Road or the sound of temple bells, it is the rhythmic sound of rolling suitcases echoing through the departure gates at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). For a young Nepali the standard roadmap for success has been clear: pass Grade 12, secure an IELTS/PTE score and fly abroad. The assumption is: A foreign degree is the only path to a dignified future. However, as the number of migrants are increasing each year, a question arises: Is the global degree an academic investment, or has it simply become the most expensive exit strategy?

The ROAEI of a “Golden Ticket”

From the financial perspective, the Return on Abroad Education Investment for a Nepali student might be lopsided. To fund a degree in Australia, UK or USA, most middle class families have to sell their assets or take a high interest bank loan, often ranging from NPR 40 Lakhs to 1 Crore.

This only works if the graduate chooses to remain abroad to earn in stronger currency. If the student returns to Nepal immediately, they enter a job market that rarely offers a salary capable of serving the high interest loan which they took to initially go abroad. This financial pressure transforms education into a debt trap, many stay abroad not because they like staying away from their families or because they found their dream career, but because they simply cannot afford the failure of coming home broke.

The Survival Job Trap

There is a massive reality between the Global Graduate dream and the Monday Morning reality. Most students find themselves in a survival job cycle: working long hours in kitchens, cleaning or retail just to cover rent and bank interest. These offer zero professional growth and students have to spend years in manual labor instead of building a portfolio, accessing new skills, and seeing growth potential. By the time they graduate, they aren’t competing with global professionals, they are tired workers with a piece of paper (degree). 

The Degree as a Migration Tool

There is a visible shift in how international education is approached nowadays. The primary intention of going abroad has been shifted to migration from education. According to reports by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Kathmandu, the primary goal for youth migration is the search for decent work and economic stability that feels out of reach in Nepal. 

When a work visa becomes the priority over an international education, the quality of the university becomes a secondary priority . The Consultancy Culture tends to prioritize countries based on who can provide easy access to Permanent Residency rather than the quality of education provided there. This results in massive brain drain. Which is making Nepal export its most young minds when they have so much room for development.

Beyond the Departure Gate

The foreign degree can be worth it but only when it serves as a brain gain and not a brain drain. A global education can be very valuable if it provides niche skills like renewable energy, advanced data analytics that are currently missing in the local market.

The real opportunity might lie in the gaps. I feel, the students who are truly succeeding aren’t just those who were able to secure jobs in foreign cities but those who learn how to build something that doesn’t exist in Nepal. 

Conclusion

We as a young generation should be focused on building our country and shouldn’t spend our life on building someone else’s country. 

References:

https://www.ilo.org/kathmandu

Analysis of Labour Market and Migration Trends in Nepal