Education at Boston University

The small sample size here matters—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these numbers could swing dramatically with just a few data points. That said, $27,891 in first-year earnings is surprisingly low for graduates of a highly selective university where the average SAT is 1473. This places in just the 5th percentile nationally for education degrees, well below the national median of $38,660 and even trailing the Massachusetts state median of $33,401.

The debt load of $27,000 is actually typical for education majors, but paired with these earnings, it creates a nearly 1:1 debt-to-income ratio that will make loan repayment challenging in those early years. For context, Springfield College education graduates in Massachusetts earn $45,906—64% more—while Smith College and several state universities all produce better earnings outcomes. Whether this reflects BU's education program specifically or just an unusual cohort year is impossible to know with such limited data.

If your child is set on teaching and has been admitted to Boston University, understand that they're paying premium tuition (and likely taking on additional debt beyond what's shown here) for outcomes that currently lag behind both state schools and peer private institutions. The pathway through BU's education program may offer intangible benefits, but the financial return—at least based on this snapshot—doesn't match the institutional prestige or selectivity.