Cost ranges by country and tier
US: USD 50-80K/year all-in at private universities, USD 30-50K/year at state schools — total 4-year cost USD 120-300K. UK: GBP 25-40K/year — total 3-year cost GBP 75-120K. Canada and Australia: CAD/AUD 35-50K/year — total 4-year cost USD 100-200K equivalent. Singapore: USD 20-40K/year.
All these include living, accommodation, books, and basic travel. They exclude application costs, multiple campus visits, and any preparatory coaching.
Exchange-rate exposure compounds the inflation problem
INR has depreciated against USD at roughly 3-4% per year over the last decade. Combined with 5-7% USD education inflation, the effective INR-terms cost grows at 8-11% per year — at the upper end of any 'safe' inflation assumption.
For abroad planning, use the upper-end inflation rate (10%) and over-provision by 15-20%. Consider holding a portion of the corpus in a USD-denominated instrument in the final 2-3 years to hedge exchange-rate risk if the amount is large.
Scholarship and aid — plan for the no-aid case
Scholarships and need-based aid can materially reduce the cost — but they're uncertain, especially for international undergraduates. Always plan for the no-aid case; any scholarship that materialises is upside.
Education loans are common but expensive (8-12% interest in India). The whole point of an early-start SIP is to reduce loan dependency. Request a callback for a study-abroad plan including the SIP, the FX hedge, and a backup loan structure.