An Albanian man's attempt at higher education ended in disaster, a court heard.
Xhimi Bego borrowed money to attend university in his native country.
But when the lenders asked him to commit crime he refused and was beaten up.
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After fleeing to the UK he became homeless, was hooked in by an organised gang and ended up as a cannabis grower in Swindon and Bristol.
Bego, 21, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis.
Judge James Patrick jailed him for nine months.
The judge told him: "You performed a limited function under direction.
"I regret to say appropriate punishment can only be achieved by the imposition of immediate custody."
Bristol Crown Court heard Bego entered the UK and surrendered himself to authorities with the view to seeking asylum.
However, after being given an ID card and modest money to live on, he lost his ID card and became homeless.
The court heard he then agreed to garden a cannabis crop at a Swindon address, where three rooms growing 135 plants were estimated to yield some £60,000.
When police came to call Bego was cooperative, but then disappeared and turned up growing cannabis at an address in Bristol.
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The judge summed up how police who forced their way into the premises found Bego as well as 257 cannabis plants in five rooms with an estimated value of £100,000.
Bego's barrister described her client as a vulnerable man who had had limited options.
She told the court: "He wants to pay for his offending.
"He would stay on a tag for years.
"He would do any amount of unpaid work.
"He would do anything at all. He knows he has done wrong."
The court heard immediate prison meant Bego was likely to be deported from the UK.
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