A consulting salary can make a Master's financially worthwhile, but don't compare tuition with only the first year's gross salary.

Include living costs, lost earnings while studying, debt interest, taxes, probability of receiving an offer and the alternative job you could have taken. A high advertised consulting salary does not eliminate the risk of not landing the role.

For example, an expensive one-year program with a strong recruiting pipeline can still have a weaker return than a cheaper program if outcomes are similar. The comparison changes with scholarship support and country.

Build a conservative three-year cash-flow estimate using tuition, realistic post-tax pay, and different employment outcomes. Compare weighing a Master’s degree against entering consulting directly with consulting salary ranges, and include a scenario where you take a non-consulting role.

I'd include the salary I gave up to study, not just tuition. That changed the payback period by a lot.

A scholarship makes such a difference here.