College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Boston University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do BU graduates earn?

The reported median is $83,615 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is $0 per year.

Boston University's strongest is access, and the return picture is mixed. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Four years after completion, completers earn a median of $83,615, in the 91st percentile. That figure sits level with the peer median of $83,615—the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $17,100 less than expects for similar students, a result in the 6th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,036.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $26,136. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,848.

A median that trails the peer group and a negative gap against the model point the same way.

Earnings four years after completion vary widely by field at Boston University. The earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, range from a downside of $57,984 to an upside of $117,834, with the typical scenario landing at $83,615.

Three programs show the upper end of that spread. Computer Science completers earn a median of $136,667, Computer Engineering graduates reach $135,394, and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies completers earn $110,622.

The lower-earning program clusters, captured by the downside scenario, sit well below those figures.

An estimated 32.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$83,615
Rank for difference from expectations
6th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
BU reported median
$83,615
Peer schools comparable schools · $0 below BU
$83,615
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $17,100 above BU
$100,715

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $57,984 to $117,834, around the reported median of $83,615. Compare the lower scenario with BU borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$57,984
Median · reported
$83,615
Higher estimate
$117,834

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do BU graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

BU graduates’ reported earnings are $17,100 below that expectation, the 6th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending BU caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$9,036
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$26,136
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$17,100

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at BU report the highest earnings?

The return picture at Boston University depends heavily on field of study. The university awards bachelor's degrees across 36 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 34 of them nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The highest-earning program, Computer Science, shows a median of $136,667 four years after completion, with 294 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #42. Computer Engineering follows at $135,394 on 122 degrees awarded.

Among the largest programs, earnings vary. Business Administration and Management, the most-awarded field at 678 degrees, reaches $108,412 and ranks #14 nationally.

Psychology, with 276 degrees awarded, earns a median of $63,838 and ranks #26 in its field. The spread between a high-earning technical field and a large social-science program shows how much the chosen major shapes the early-career return.

Boston University runs 34 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and earnings data cover 36 fields. The largest field, Business Administration and Management, awarded 678 degrees and ranks #14 nationally, with completers earning a median of $108,412 four years after completion.

Computer Science ranks #42 nationally and awarded 294 degrees, while its graduates show a median of $136,667. Hospitality Administration/Management ranks #3 nationally with 72 degrees awarded and a median of $82,302.

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies ranks #4 nationally, awarded 60 degrees, and reports a median of $110,622.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Science
$136,667
Computer Engineering
$135,394
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
$110,622
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$108,412
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$99,024
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$98,953
Economics
$96,723
Mechanical Engineering
$95,757

Explore BU program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings at Boston University depend heavily on field of study. Earnings scenarios anchored on the program mix show a downside of $57,984, a typical outcome of $83,615, and an upside of $117,834.

The highest-earning large program, Computer Science, reaches $136,667 four years after completion, while Psychology, another large program, sits at $63,838.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of Boston University graduates is $83,615, drawn from a cohort of 4,802 completers. That figure is level with the peer median of $83,615 for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university in the 91st percentile nationally.

Graduates earn about $17,100 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 6th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical outcome of $83,615, with a downside scenario of $57,984 and an upside scenario reaching $117,834.

An estimated 32.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The return picture is mixed: the median earnings percentile is strong, but graduates fall short of what the model expects for similar students and sit below the peer median.

The wide spread between the downside and upside scenarios reflects the range of outcomes across the university's program mix.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.