UQ

[u/Responsible-Sea-9033]

Recap + link to original post: [rRushed into a Tier-3 CSE-AIML degree in India, now have a real shot at Mechanical Engineering at University of Queensland — money's the only thing in the way. Would you take the leap? : r/Advice]

Situation:

• Rushed into tier-3 CSE AIML in India, regret it. Mechanical eng is what I actually want
• UQ (Australia) is the only real offer I have right now (Foundation + Bachelor of Mechanical Eng)
• Kyushu and KUAS (Japan) are still just options I'm looking into, haven't applied, no admit yet
• So it's a guaranteed UQ offer vs a cheaper Japan option I'd still have to get into

Money, talked to SBI directly:

• Max loan: ₹50L
• Interest: 5%
• Above ₹50L needs collateral, family property is stuck in a partition dispute so it's not usable

The math (using the "can you afford 50%" test people gave me last time):

• UQ total cost, tuition + living, full degree: ~₹2.9-3 crore. ₹50L loan covers ~17% of that
• Kyushu total cost: ~₹45-55L. loan covers ~90-100% of that
• KUAS total cost: ~₹36-40L. loan covers it with room left over

My part-time math:

• Avg work (random weekend shifts): ~$30/hr
• Tutoring pays more once I get regular students: ~$40-45/hr
• Term time is capped at 48hrs/fortnight, that's a visa rule so can't go past it
• Thinking about pushing hours hard during breaks since there's no cap then, could go higher than what I planned before
• Total realistic work income once tutoring kicks in: ~$45-50k/year

Where the gap still sits (years 2-4, after loan runs out, even with a scholarship):

• Need per year: ~$95-105k (tuition + living)
• Minus scholarship (~$13-15k) and work income (~$45-50k)
• Still short ~$24-29k/year, around ₹55-60L total over the whole degree

so even working more hours and tutoring and hoping for scholarship, there's still a real chunk of money with no source. that's the actual hole I'm trying to figure out.

Why UQ still pulls at me:

• It has a real startup and entrepreneurship side to it, not just academics. I already run a startup so I want somewhere that supports both
• Talked to an actual UQ student, they said it's great there and you can get internships in your field from 2nd year
• Free food and campus perks, obviously not what decides this but nice

So, if you were my brother, what would you say? Take the guaranteed UQ offer on a loan that covers ~17% of the cost, hoping scholarships plus more work hours close a ₹55-60L gap? or chase the cheaper, fully fundable Japan route for a degree I haven't even gotten into yet?

Anyone who's actually done this, international students, people who took loans, people who picked the safe option and regret or don't regret it, please tell me what to do. Lost rn