Neurobiology and Neurosciences at Boston University

Boston University's neuroscience program sits in an uncomfortable middle ground within Massachusetts. While it significantly outperforms the national median for this field ($39,093 vs. $31,687), it lands right at the state median—trailing MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, and even liberal arts colleges like Wellesley and Wheaton. For a highly selective school with an 11% admission rate and SAT scores averaging 1473, you'd expect stronger placement than 40th percentile among Massachusetts neuroscience programs.

The debt picture offers some reassurance: at $26,000, it's modest enough that graduates can manage it with their starting salaries. The 41% earnings jump to nearly $55,000 by year four suggests graduates are finding their footing, likely as they move into research positions or begin graduate programs. Still, that four-year mark barely catches up to where MIT and Harvard graduates start.

The core question is whether BU's premium price tag (reflected in that 18% Pell grant rate at a highly selective institution) delivers premium outcomes in neuroscience. The data suggests it doesn't—at least not compared to peer Massachusetts institutions. If your child is set on neuroscience in Boston and BU is the acceptance, the debt is manageable. But if they're choosing between BU and the higher-ranked Massachusetts programs, the earnings gap is real and persistent.