Biomedical/Medical Engineering at University of Washington-Seattle Campus

UW-Seattle's biomedical engineering program produces a puzzling result: graduates earn $57,000 their first year—about $13,000 below the national median for this major—yet they're in the 80th percentile among Washington's biomedical engineering programs. That gap reveals how weak the in-state alternatives are. Washington State University graduates, for instance, start at just $31,000, making UW look strong by comparison even though it underperforms most biomedical programs nationwide.

The debt picture is genuinely excellent. At $14,000, graduates carry 40% less debt than the national median and face a remarkably manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.25. That's roughly five months of gross salary—rare for an engineering degree and a testament to reasonable costs at a public flagship.

The real question is whether slightly below-average engineering earnings, even with minimal debt, justifies the opportunity cost. At a selective public university like UW, your child could likely pursue computer science, electrical engineering, or other majors with stronger earning potential. Biomedical engineering is notoriously better suited for graduate study, so if your child plans to stop at a bachelor's, compare carefully against other engineering options at UW. If they're committed to the biomedical field and plan for grad school, the combination of low debt and a respected name makes this a defensible choice.