Biomedical Engineeringat University of California-Santa Cruz
Graduates earn $55,856/yr in their first year — about 12.0% below the national Biomedical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $925K; scenarios range from $779K to $967K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Santa Cruz
First-year earnings of $55,856 track close to the $63,751 national median for Biomedical Engineering programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.
The 15.9x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.
AI risk is moderate — 50% task exposure — and the 19% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
At $23,000 in median debt against $55,856 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
Ranked #25 out of 119 programs, University of California-Santa Cruz's Biomedical Engineering program lands in the top 5% — a strong signal of graduate success.
Earnings growth from $55,856 to $98,115 over five years (76% increase) indicates that graduates in this field see meaningful salary progression.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UC Santa Cruz's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Biomedical Engineering
How UC Santa Cruz stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Santa Cruz
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Santa Cruz, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Biomedical Engineering offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Biomedical Engineering trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Biomedical Engineering at UC Santa Cruz
How does University of California-Santa Cruz's Biomedical Engineering program score?
This program scores 66/100, reflecting respectable but not exceptional financial outcomes for Biomedical Engineering graduates.
How vulnerable is Biomedical Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Biomedical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 50% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why does University of California-Santa Cruz rank so high for Biomedical Engineering?
The #25 ranking out of 119 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.