MAJORS · 105 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI

Is a biomedical engineering degree worth it?

Part of Engineering — see the whole category’s numbers.

On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$1,024,909. But the spread is the real story.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

+$1,024,909

across 114 bachelor’s programs · 7,385 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

+$1.05M

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

+$772K ⟷ +$1.29M

NEVER BREAK EVEN

0.2%

MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE

28

Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

+$789K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$129K

Questions

Is a biomedical engineering degree worth it?
On average yes — across 114 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Biomedical Engineering is +$1,024,909 and the median is +$1,051,908. 0.2% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$771,807 and +$1,294,960.
How long until a biomedical engineering degree pays off?
For Biomedical Engineering, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 28. 0.2% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
Does the school matter for a biomedical engineering major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Biomedical Engineering graduates span +$771,807 to +$1,294,960 — a +$523K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Biomedical Engineering: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/biomedical-engineering