Ranked by graduate earnings
Best colleges for Biomedical Engineering
50 Biomedical Engineering programs ranked by real graduate earnings, debt, and completion - from the College Scorecard Field-of-Study data.
Quick answer
For Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) ranks #1 by our outcome score, with median graduate earnings of $114,673. Rankings reflect earnings, debt, and completion - not reputation or cost - across 50 programs with published outcome data.
| # | School | Credential | Median earnings | Median debt | Completers | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ![]() Baltimore, MD | Bachelor's Degree | $114,673 | $11,207 | 100 | 92.1 |
| 2 | Philadelphia, PA | Bachelor's Degree | $126,419 | $15,593 | 53 | 90.6 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $116,525 | $14,500 | 64 | 90.1 |
| 4 | Nashville, TN | Bachelor's Degree | $116,662 | $15,000 | 50 | 88.7 |
| 5 | ![]() Baltimore, MD | Doctoral Degree | $168,482 | - | 48 | 85.8 |
| 6 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Master's Degree | $113,572 | $12,500 | 29 | 85.3 |
| 7 | Berkeley, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $110,597 | $14,896 | 94 | 85 |
| 8 | Cambridge, MA | Doctoral Degree | $167,374 | - | 43 | 84.8 |
| 9 | Durham, NC | Doctoral Degree | $150,887 | - | 38 | 83.8 |
| 10 | Cambridge, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $111,738 | $13,000 | 47 | 83.4 |
| 11 | Charlottesville, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $109,551 | $18,400 | 127 | 83.3 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | Master's Degree | $132,238 | - | 44 | 82.7 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh, PA | Doctoral Degree | $158,761 | - | 22 | 81.4 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | Doctoral Degree | $137,284 | - | 24 | 81 |
| 15 | La Jolla, CA | Doctoral Degree | $135,080 | - | 24 | 80.3 |
| 16 | Durham, NC | Bachelor's Degree | $105,921 | $13,894 | 67 | 79.6 |
| 17 | ![]() Houston, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $121,099 | - | 34 | 79.6 |
| 18 | Ann Arbor, MI | Master's Degree | $113,680 | $24,822 | 90 | 79.1 |
| 19 | ![]() Santa Clara, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $114,426 | $20,500 | 21 | 78.2 |
| 20 | Los Angeles, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $105,415 | $13,750 | 56 | 78 |
| 21 | La Jolla, CA | Master's Degree | $127,935 | $37,282 | 123 | 77.9 |
| 22 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $109,232 | $20,500 | 104 | 77.8 |
| 23 | ![]() Atlanta, GA | Doctoral Degree | $119,953 | - | 27 | 77.6 |
| 24 | ![]() Long Beach, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $106,540 | $15,500 | 40 | 76.8 |
| 25 | Durham, NC | Master's Degree | $112,081 | - | 66 | 76.3 |
| 26 | ![]() Baltimore, MD | Master's Degree | $115,950 | $32,108 | 222 | 75.2 |
| 27 | ![]() Ithaca, NY | Master's Degree | $120,467 | $60,500 | 96 | 74.7 |
| 28 | Seattle, WA | Bachelor's Degree | $100,930 | $14,000 | 91 | 74.7 |
| 29 | Atlanta, GA | Master's Degree | $123,746 | $61,324 | 73 | 74.5 |
| 30 | New Orleans, LA | Bachelor's Degree | $112,914 | $22,500 | 32 | 74.5 |
| 31 | Pittsburgh, PA | Bachelor's Degree | $109,648 | - | 65 | 74.5 |
| 32 | Berkeley, CA | First Professional Degree | $135,248 | $43,000 | - | 74.2 |
| 33 | Ann Arbor, MI | Bachelor's Degree | $102,342 | $18,969 | 103 | 73.9 |
| 34 | Storrs, CT | Master's Degree | $113,487 | - | 21 | 73.7 |
| 35 | ![]() Minneapolis, MN | Master's Degree | $112,691 | - | 33 | 73.4 |
| 36 | ![]() Waterbury, CT | Master's Degree | $113,487 | - | 0 | 72.2 |
| 37 | ![]() Groton, CT | Master's Degree | $113,487 | - | 0 | 72.2 |
| 38 | ![]() Stamford, CT | Master's Degree | $113,487 | - | 0 | 72.2 |
| 39 | ![]() Hartford, CT | Master's Degree | $113,487 | - | 0 | 72.2 |
| 40 | ![]() Evanston, IL | Bachelor's Degree | $102,994 | $16,833 | 43 | 72.1 |
| 41 | ![]() Houston, TX | Master's Degree | $110,932 | - | 33 | 71.9 |
| 42 | Madison, WI | Master's Degree | $109,392 | - | 52 | 71.9 |
| 43 | Atlanta, GA | Bachelor's Degree | $102,755 | $21,375 | 278 | 71.3 |
| 44 | Los Angeles, CA | Master's Degree | $121,165 | $65,600 | 41 | 71.1 |
| 45 | Austin, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $102,544 | $21,071 | 118 | 71 |
| 46 | Detroit, MI | Bachelor's Degree | $106,048 | $19,395 | 18 | 70.4 |
| 47 | ![]() Ithaca, NY | Doctoral Degree | $111,753 | - | 13 | 69.5 |
| 48 | ![]() Claremont, CA | Master's Degree | $127,709 | $66,309 | 22 | 69.2 |
| 49 | New Brunswick, NJ | Master's Degree | $108,578 | - | 31 | 68.7 |
| 50 | Clemson, SC | Master's Degree | $100,816 | $18,862 | 45 | 68.6 |
Hidden Gems for Biomedical Engineering
Lower-profile schools with a genuinely strong outcome score for Biomedical Engineering - the famous brand names and mega-flagships are deliberately filtered out.
| # | School | Median earnings | Admit rate | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh, PA Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $158,761 | 58% | 81.4 |
| 2 | ![]() Santa Clara, CA Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $114,426 | 48% | 78.2 |
| 3 | Storrs, CT Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $113,487 | 52% | 73.7 |
| 4 | ![]() Waterbury, CT Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $113,487 | 87% | 72.2 |
| 5 | ![]() Groton, CT Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $113,487 | 88% | 72.2 |
| 6 | ![]() Stamford, CT Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $113,487 | 83% | 72.2 |
| 7 | ![]() Hartford, CT Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $113,487 | 88% | 72.2 |
| 8 | Detroit, MI Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, accessible admissions, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $106,048 | 81% | 70.4 |
| 9 | ![]() Claremont, CA Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $127,709 | - | 69.2 |
| 10 | ![]() Los Angeles, CA Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $109,396 | 45% | 68.5 |
| 11 | Rochester, NY Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $105,240 | 40% | 68.1 |
| 12 | ![]() Philadelphia, PA Strong Biomedical Engineering outcome score, accessible admissions, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $104,990 | 79% | 68.1 |
Hidden Gems use the same College Scorecard outcome score, then drop the pool’s most-selective brands (bottom-quartile admit rate) and largest campuses (top-quartile enrollment). Schools that don’t report admit rate or enrollment are not dropped by that guard.
How we ranked this
Programs are scored 0-100 within the Biomedical Engineering field (CIP 14.05) using three College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (weighted 70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, inverted so lower debt scores higher), and completer count (10%, log-scaled). Each input is percentile-ranked against the other Biomedical Engineering programs, so the score is robust to outliers and comparable across schools. Programs with no published earnings are excluded - never given a fabricated number. This is the same engine that powers our interactive Major Rankings. Minimum 5 scorable programs required to publish.
Frequently asked questions
Which college has the best Biomedical Engineering program?+
By our outcome score, Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) ranks #1 for Biomedical Engineering, with median graduate earnings of $114,673.
How are these Biomedical Engineering programs ranked?+
Each program gets a 0-100 outcome score from three real College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, lower is better), and completer count (10%). Programs are compared within the major so the score reflects the best schools for this field specifically.
Where does the earnings and debt data come from?+
The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field-of-Study file, which publishes median earnings and median debt by institution and major (4-digit CIP). Figures are post-graduation medians; programs without published earnings are not scored and are omitted from this ranking.
Can I filter Biomedical Engineering programs by state or degree level?+
Yes. This page shows the national top programs; use the interactive Major Rankings tool to filter the same data by state, and by credential level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral).
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Field of Study) · IPEDS Completions. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.














