Biomedical Engineering

What graduates really earn, where the degree pays off most, and whether the numbers add up for you.

Avg Earnings (4yr)

$65,967

Median Earnings

$94,168

Schools Offering

128

ROI Grade

Earnings Range (4 Years After Graduation)

25th: $88,279Median: $94,16875th: $100,182

Best Schools for Biomedical Engineering by Earnings

#	School	ROI	4yr Earnings	Net Price	Major Debt	Grade
1	University of Pennsylvania PA · Private	97	$126,419	$28,699	$15,593	A
2	Rice University TX · Private	98	$121,099	$13,370	N/A	-
3	Vanderbilt University TN · Private	97	$116,662	$15,846	$19,500	B+
4	University of California-Los Angeles CA · Public	96	$116,525	$12,548	$15,000	B+
5	Johns Hopkins University MD · Private	96	$114,673	$18,809	$11,207	A
6	Santa Clara University CA · Private	90	$114,426	$50,062	$21,390	B+
7	Tulane University of Louisiana LA · Private	64	$112,914	$39,949	$23,760	A
8	Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA · Private	99	$111,738	$20,111	$13,000	A
9	University of California-Berkeley CA · Public	97	$110,597	$13,481	$14,896	A
10	Carnegie Mellon University PA · Private	97	$109,648	$31,944	N/A	-
11	University of Virginia-Main Campus VA · Public	95	$109,551	$21,565	$18,400	B+
12	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA · Public	96	$109,232	$16,665	$20,500	B+
13	California State University-Long Beach CA · Public	86	$106,540	$10,440	$15,720	A
14	Lehigh University PA · Private	93	$106,260	$36,931	$26,000	B
15	Wayne State University MI · Public	61	$106,048	$12,766	$19,395	A
16	Duke University NC · Private	96	$105,921	$29,612	$13,894	A
17	University of Southern California CA · Private	91	$105,415	$32,740	$14,500	A
18	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NY · Private	93	$103,306	$36,228	$26,000	B+
19	Northwestern University IL · Private	94	$102,994	$29,167	$17,063	A
20	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA · Public	97	$102,755	$12,116	$22,750	B+
21	The University of Texas at Austin TX · Public	90	$102,544	$19,857	$21,071	B
22	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI · Public	95	$102,342	$13,138	$20,000	B+
23	Drexel University PA · Private	82	$101,362	$38,509	$30,697	B
24	University of Delaware DE · Public	86	$101,175	$17,799	$25,990	B
25	Temple University PA · Public	64	$101,101	$28,198	$27,000	C+
26	University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA · Public	94	$100,930	$14,091	$14,000	A
27	George Washington University DC · Private	88	$100,601	$36,586	$23,000	B+
28	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA · Public	62	$100,416	$32,875	$24,164	B+
29	Oregon State University OR · Public	75	$100,182	$19,604	$23,657	C+
30	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus OR · Public	73	$100,182	$18,048	$23,657	C+
31	Stevens Institute of Technology NJ · Private	92	$99,842	$41,346	$27,000	B
32	University of Wisconsin-Madison WI · Public	91	$99,762	$17,354	$20,492	B+
33	Wentworth Institute of Technology MA · Private	82	$99,617	$34,170	$27,000	B+
34	Syracuse University NY · Private	76	$99,521	$38,793	$27,000	B
35	Boston University MA · Private	90	$99,024	$24,402	$26,848	B
36	University of Miami FL · Private	78	$98,997	$37,244	$18,425	B+
37	University of California-San Diego CA · Public	96	$98,687	$12,470	$20,000	B+
38	University of California-Santa Cruz CA · Public	85	$98,567	$17,890	$22,500	B
39	University of California-Davis CA · Public	95	$98,504	$14,741	$15,977	A
40	North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC · Public	87	$98,129	$17,303	$18,638	B+
41	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC · Public	94	$97,992	$11,655	$15,000	A
42	University of South Carolina-Columbia SC · Public	72	$97,927	$22,811	$26,000	C+
43	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · Public	93	$97,926	$14,355	$16,850	A
44	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN · Public	88	$97,611	$16,778	$21,500	B+
45	University of California-Irvine CA · Public	94	$96,874	$14,251	$17,390	B+
46	University of Rhode Island RI · Public	79	$96,532	$21,440	$26,367	B
47	University of Utah UT · Public	84	$96,353	$16,200	$19,476	B+
48	University of Rochester NY · Private	85	$95,957	$29,278	$20,500	B+
49	Marquette University WI · Private	83	$95,728	$31,487	$27,000	B
50	CUNY City College NY · Public	82	$95,685	$3,776	N/A	-

School-by-school analysis: Biomedical Engineering

Editorial breakdowns of how biomedical engineering graduates fare at the top-earning programs in our dataset.

Rice University

TX · Private · $121,099 4yr earnings

Biomedical Engineering (29 graduates) shows one-year earnings of $88,307 and four-year earnings of $121,099, with no debt data available. Rice's location adjacent to the Texas Medical Center - the largest medical complex in the world - provides unusual research and industry access for biomedical engineering students. Many graduates pursue medical device development, biotech research, or medical school. Starting salaries near $88K indicate strong industry absorption, likely in medical device companies and hospital systems. The four-year trajectory to $121K reflects advancement into technical leadership.

Johns Hopkins University

MD · Private · $114,673 4yr earnings · $11,207 median debt

Biomedical Engineering graduates 108 students per year with $76,928 at one year and $114,673 at four years. Median debt is $11,207 and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.146 earns an ROI grade of A. This is Hopkins' signature undergraduate program - the department has been ranked first in the country by multiple measures for over a decade, and employer recognition in medical device, diagnostic imaging, and healthcare technology reflects that. For students committed to BME as a career track (not purely as a pre-med credential), the one-year earnings hold up favorably against peer engineering programs. Students using BME as a pre-med path will see lower early earnings as they enter medical school, but the program's research intensity and clinical exposure create competitive medical school applicants.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MA · Private · $111,738 4yr earnings · $13,000 median debt

Biomedical Engineering (54 graduates) earns $70,696 at year one and $111,738 at year four, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.184 (ROI grade A) and median debt of $13,000. MIT BME feeds into medical device companies, biotech, pharmaceutical research, and graduate programs in medicine and bioengineering. The year-one figure of $70k reflects the graduate-school track within this cohort - many MIT BME graduates proceed to MD or PhD programs, which temporarily suppresses the earnings median before driving strong long-run trajectories. The year-four jump to $111k captures graduates who entered industry directly.

Strong Value

Is Biomedical Engineering Worth It?

The Numbers Support This Major

Biomedical Engineering pays off for most graduates. The average is $65,967 four years out - enough to handle student debt and start getting ahead. The ROI is solid; what moves it up or down is where you go and what you specialize in.

128 schools offer this major, so you have real options. Compare net price and graduate earnings at your actual target schools - the spread between the best and worst ROI in this field is wide.

The top earner here is Tulane University of Louisiana, where graduates pull $112,914 four years out. But an average hides a wide spread - where you go, and what you do with the degree, matter as much as the major itself.

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