2026 Best Value Biomedical Engineering Schools in Illinois
[Biomedical Engineering](/majors/engineering/biomedical-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for biomedical engineering students.
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2026 Best Value Biomedical Engineering Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in biomedical engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Biomedical Engineering Schools
For return on investment in biomedical engineering, no school beat University Of Illinois At Chicago this year. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,949, while out-of-state students pay about $32,009. Biomedical Engineering graduates carry a median of $22,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, biomedical engineering degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Chicago generally make around $55,011. That is a strong return on a $22,500 median debt. The acceptance rate is 77%.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the best values for biomedical engineering. Located in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,267, while out-of-state students pay about $40,096. Students borrow a median of $16,850 to complete the biomedical engineering program here. Biomedical Engineering graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $71,485 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Northern Illinois University earned it the #3 place for biomedical engineering. Northern Illinois University is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,060. Students borrow a median of $20,521 to complete the biomedical engineering program here. Early-career biomedical engineering graduates make about $54,047. That is a strong return on a $20,521 median debt. The acceptance rate is 70%.
Illinois Institute Of Technology came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value biomedical engineering schools. Illinois Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $52,202. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the biomedical engineering program here. Early-career biomedical engineering graduates make about $48,572. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 55%.
Students looking for strong value in biomedical engineering will find it at Northwestern University, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $68,322 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for biomedical engineering graduates is $17,063. Soon after graduation, biomedical engineering degree recipients from Northwestern University generally make around $74,631. Set against $17,063 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Northwestern University admits about 8% of applicants.
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 6 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
