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After BU: graduation, pay and debt

Boston, Massachusetts · Private · 18,248 undergrads

90% of BU students finish within six years, the typical student earns $89,087 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $17,500 in federal loans at the median.

The short answers

$89.1k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
90%
finish within six years.
83%
finish in four years.
95%
of first-years come back for year two.
$17.5k
median federal debt at graduation.
82%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers

Finishing

Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
83%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
90%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
95%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
87%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
92%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
3,488
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
90%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
7%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
3,931

Pay after college

Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$71,021
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$89,087
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
81%

Pay is for students who got federal aid and are working, counted from the year they started college, whether or not they finished.

Debt and paying it back

Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$17,500
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$21,500
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$21,916
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$21,250
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
82%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
86%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
89%

Federal student loans only. Private loans and Parent PLUS loans aren't counted.

Where these numbers come from
  • Admit rate and applicants: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
  • GPA, early rounds and wait list: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
  • Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard, 2024-25 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
  • Deadlines: bu.edu, 2026-27 (checked Nov 5, 2026)
  • Test rule: bu.edu, fall 2027 (checked Nov 2, 2026)

Updated Nov 5, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers