Boston, Massachusetts, US · 21 months · class of 117
BU Questrom MBA: cost, salary and payback
The largest healthcare share of any school on this site, and a payback that depends heavily on the scholarship in your offer.
Paid back after graduation in
10.0 years
Total cost $358,420 · 10-year NPV -$161,639
| Tuition and fees, whole program | $148,944 |
| Living budget | $51,976 |
| Salary given up, 21 months | $157,500 |
| Total cost | $358,420 |
| Salary after: median base salary | $115,000 |
| 10-year net present value | -$161,639 |
| Return on the cost (present values) | -46% |
US dollars at the ECB rate of the last update. Raises of 5% a year with the MBA and 3% without, discounted at 5%, before tax. How this is calculated.
Fees and budget read on October 13, 2026 · employment: Class of 2025 (school standard) · Built by Radif Partners · Method
- Tuition and fees
- $148,944
- Total cost, salary given up included
- $358,420
- median base salary
- $115,000
- Payback, reference person
- 10.0 years
Two years of the full-time MBA at Boston University's Questrom School cost $200,920 in tuition, university fees and the school's living budget, which already includes the student health plan. For a person earning $90,000 today, the 21 months away add $157,500 of salary given up, for a total of $358,420. The class of 2025 reported a median base salary of $115,000 and a median signing bonus of $10,000, which repays that total 10.0 years after graduation; the ten-year net present value is -$161,639. Those numbers assume the full list price. The school says the large majority of its entering class receives a merit scholarship, so most students start from a lower cost. What sets Questrom apart is the class itself: 63% international, and 19% of graduates going into healthcare, next to 27% in technology.
Healthcare and technology, not Wall Street
Questrom's report leans away from finance. Technology took 27% of graduates and healthcare 19%, the highest healthcare share of any school in our data, while finance took only 7% and consulting 12%. The school publishes no salary by industry, so our healthcare ranking places it number 16 of 22: the share is high, but the school-wide median of $115,000 stands in for every sector, which weighs on its place in that list.
By function, marketing and sales came first, ahead of finance and accounting. The named employers mix technology, pharmaceuticals and banking, with no hire counts. Almost everyone stayed in the country, 98% of those who took a job, which puts Questrom number 6 of 39 in our ranking for working in the United States.
BU Questrom: where the class went
Share of the class
12%
| Salary reported | $115,000 (school-wide) |
| Graduates, about | 14 |
| Payback with that salary | 10.0 years |
Reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA.
Why the salary figure deserves a second look
The survey reached 91% of the class, but only about half of the graduates who accepted a job told the school their salary, so the median rests on a smaller group than the response rate suggests. The report also splits pay by the student's citizenship, and international students reported a higher median than domestic students. With a class of 117, a few offers can move the median from one year to the next.
The salary at which the degree still pays
At the reference salary the payback runs long, because the school-wide median after the degree is not far above a strong pre-MBA salary. On the model, the payback stays within five years only for someone earning up to about $55,000 before the MBA, at list price. Every dollar of scholarship shortens it, which is why the offer letter matters so much here: an award of a quarter of tuition, $36,512, is about 6 times the first yearly raise the model applies to the median. Type your own salary and expected post-MBA pay below, and compare with CMU Tepper or Emory Goizueta for a healthcare goal.
BU Questrom: when the MBA pays back, for your salary
Payback after graduation
10.0 years
| Total cost with the salary given up | $358,420 |
| Salary after (median base salary) | $115,000 |
| 10-year NPV | -$161,639 |
Same assumptions as the main calculator; US dollars.
Where BU Questrom stands in our rankings
- #33 of 40 · Any industry (whole class)
- #37 of 38 · Consulting
- #38 of 39 · Finance, all segments
- #24 of 40 · Technology
- #6 of 39 · Working in the United States
Our fit score, reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA (method). Third-party rankings play no part in it.
What the BU Questrom MBA costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, whole program | $146,048 |
| Mandatory fees | $2,896 |
| Living budget, whole program | $51,976 |
| Salary given up: $90,000 a year for 21 months | $157,500 |
| Total cost, reference person | $358,420 |
BU Questrom employment report: Class of 2025
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median base salary | $115,000 |
| Signing bonus (median) | $10,000 |
| Graduates who accepted an offer within three months | 80% |
| Response rate to the survey | 91% |
BU Questrom graduates by industry
| Industry, as the school names it | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | 27% | not published |
| Healthcare | 19% | not published |
| Consulting | 12% | not published |
| Consumer Packaged Goods | 9% | not published |
| Energy | 8% | not published |
| Non-profit + Education | 8% | not published |
| Financial Services | 7% | not published |
| Real Estate + Legal | 7% | not published |
| Manufacturing | 3% | not published |
Where BU Questrom graduates went to work
| Region | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| US (US (state missing) + US Midwest + US Northeast + US South + US Southwest + US West) | 98% | not published |
BU Questrom graduates by job function
| Function | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing/Sales | 26% | not published |
| Finance/Accounting | 21% | not published |
| Consulting | 16% | not published |
| Information Technology | 16% | not published |
| General Management | 10% | not published |
| Operations/Logistics | 7% | not published |
| Human Resources | 2% | not published |
| Legal | 2% | not published |
Employers named by BU Questrom
Amazon · Dell Technologies · Goldman Sachs · PwC · Procter & Gamble · Biogen · Cisco Systems · State Street · Sanofi · Philips
Names only: the school gives no hire counts.
The BU Questrom class
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| International students | 63% |
| Women | 45% |
| Average age | 29 |
| Average years of work experience | 6 |
| Class size | 117 |