Biomedical/Medical Engineering: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates earn a median $93,451 four years after finishing — $45,091/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 1.5 years. Federal data pools 199 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 8,583 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Biomedical/Medical Engineering ranks #17 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 92% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $126,419 |
| 2 | Rice University | TX | $121,099 |
| 3 | Vanderbilt University | TN | $116,662 |
| 4 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | $116,525 |
| 5 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | $114,673 |
| 6 | Santa Clara University | CA | $114,426 |
| 7 | Tulane University of Louisiana | LA | $112,914 |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | $111,738 |
| 9 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $110,597 |
| 10 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | $109,648 |
| 11 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | $109,551 |
| 12 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $109,232 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.