How much debt do WPI biomedical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 biomedical engineering bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a biomedical engineering degree from WPI worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 36%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.

WPI Biomedical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do WPI biomedical engineering graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 69% (63 of 91) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Private nonprofit school
Worcester, MA
About 121 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

WPI biomedical engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most biomedical engineering programs nationally, $78,283 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,125. One other Massachusetts program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$78,28394th percentile of 115 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$102,71131% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0003rd lowest of 6 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings34%Massachusetts median 37%, national 36%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Massachusetts and national columns are the medians across all biomedical engineering bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	WPI	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$78,283	$69,953	$64,298
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$102,711	$103,107	$94,356
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$23,125
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	37%	36%
Programs compared		6	115

Five years out, WPI graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts biomedical engineering program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Massachusetts medians.

WPIOther Massachusetts programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 31% between the first and fifth year.

WPI grads, year 1$78,283

WPI grads, year 5$102,711

All Massachusetts biomedical engineering grads, year 5$103,107

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $13,744 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$66,831Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$80,575Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (123 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
Paying down the balance	50–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $40,347.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

69% of graduates (63 of 91) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Worcester area are about 3% above the national average, so a $78,283 salary here buys what about $76,357 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to biomedical engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$201,430

Median pay in Massachusetts. 7,690 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $137,750Top 10%: $286,410

Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers

$127,570

Median pay in Massachusetts. 4,740 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $76,750Top 10%: $194,760

About WPI

Tuition and fees	$60,965 / year
Average net price after aid	$43,071 / year
Admission rate	60%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	90%
Undergraduate students	5,447

Biomedical Engineering ranks 6th of 12 bachelor's programs at WPI by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($93,888), Electrical Engineering ($89,897), and Software and Media Applications ($86,193).

Other biomedical engineering bachelor's programs near Worcester

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
WPIWorcester, MA · private nonprofit		$78,283	$27,000
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	36 mi	$69,209	$26,848
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyBoston, MA · private nonprofit	37 mi	$80,401	$27,000
MITCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	37 mi	$70,696	$13,000
Western New England UniversitySpringfield, MA · private nonprofit	38 mi	$58,437	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $78,283 one year after graduating and $102,711 five years after. The median across biomedical engineering bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $69,953.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Massachusetts comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the biomedical engineering program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Biomedical Engineering bachelor's programs in Massachusetts, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Biomedical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked115 programs by pay and debt All WPI programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt