The Degree Premium,
Measured
What a qualification does to the number, from MBBS at the top to Class 12 at the bottom.
What this measures, and what it does not
These are answers people gave a satirical calculator. Nobody was asked what they paid. They picked a qualification, a job, a salary and a city, and the calculator returned a deliberately absurd figure. So this measures which combinations people found plausible enough to enter: perception, from a self-selected group who found a joke calculator through Google. It is not representative of India, and it is not dowry that changed hands.
Volume counts everyone who answered at least one question. Rupee figures count only people who answered every question, because there is no total until all the inputs exist. For prevalence and prosecutions, use the NCRB statistics.
The degree ladder
What people actually pick
The PhD problem
A PhD lands at 51.1%, below IIT (85.8%), IIM (83.0%) and a plain post-graduate degree (53.5%). The most academically demanding qualification on the list is worth less than three less demanding ones.
A degree outweighs a state
83 points separate top and bottom qualification. Only 26 points separate the top and bottom state.
Show the underlying numbers
| Qualification | Share at ₹75 lakh+ | Median band | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|
| MBBS | 95.5% | over 5Cr | 290 |
| IIT or NIT | 85.8% | 1.5Cr to 5Cr | 579 |
| IIM or MBA | 83.0% | 1.5Cr to 5Cr | 377 |
| Post-graduate | 53.5% | 75L to 1.5Cr | 923 |
| PhD | 51.1% | 75L to 1.5Cr | 88 |
| Graduate | 27.0% | 30L to 75L | 1,530 |
| Diploma | 19.4% | 15L to 30L | 134 |
| Class 12 | 12.6% | under 5L | 206 |
Show the most common combinations
| Qualification and profession | Answers |
|---|---|
| Graduate + Private sector | 885 |
| Post-graduate + Private sector | 517 |
| IIT or NIT + Private sector | 348 |
| Graduate + Government | 344 |
| IIM or MBA + Private sector | 248 |
| Graduate + Business owner | 208 |
| Post-graduate + Government | 200 |
| MBBS + Doctor | 163 |
| Post-graduate + Business owner | 144 |
| IIT or NIT + Government | 120 |
| Class 12 + Private sector | 104 |
| IIM or MBA + Business owner | 78 |
Questions
Which degree produces the highest dowry figure?
MBBS, at 95.5% of finished calculations reaching 75 lakh or above, against Class 12 at 12.6%.
Is IIT worth more than IIM here?
IIT or NIT at 85.8% and IIM or MBA at 83.0%, with IIT marginally ahead. A gap of 2.8 points is too small to call.
Why does a PhD rank so low?
PhD sits at 51.1%, below IIT (85.8%), IIM (83.0%) and even a plain post-graduate degree (53.5%). Qualifications that read as high-earning outrank ones that read as high-studying.
Is this what these graduates actually receive?
No. It is what calculator users considered plausible to enter.