Does Tufts or UNC Chapel Hill have a better biomedical engineering program?
¯_(ツ)_/¯
You can use this link to review the engineering profile for Tufts, but UNC-CH doesn’t have a profile (all they offer in engineering in BME).
I think the real decision is between Tufts (elite private) and UNC-CH (elite public) and not really between the two BME programs. Two very different schools.
Very different schools from a “fit and feel” standpoint. Please note that jobs in “bio related” fields require advanced degrees more often than in other engineering fields Irrespective of where you choose, engage with your career office and planning early so there are no surprises. Tufts is located in the middle of the largest biotech cluster in the US, UNC is located near the #8 biotech cluster .At Tufts, one can reach potential internship opportunities via public transportation, I do not remember if that is true for UNC, so you might want to check that out.
https://www.genengnews.com/the-lists/top-10-us-biopharma-clusters/77900917
^UNC is in the research triangle, tons of research opportunities there.
@gator88ne- I went to the ASEE database you provided to try to compare some of the parameters between the two BME departments and there is no data for UNC! As it turns out, they do not offer any engineering degrees!
I had forgotten that in North Carolina the flagship university is not the land grant university (i.e.the school in each state that was funded via the Morrill Act to create engineering programs to support the industrial revolution) and they have apparently chosen not to support engineering there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_land-grant_universities#North_Carolina
So, although you are technically correct that the decision is not between the two BME programs, the differences in this area turns out to be critical 
If the OP wants to major in BME (or any other engineering field), UNC-CH is not an option.
@wildestdream - As it turns out, It looks like the biggest problem is availability of classes, not availability of research or internships!
Just out of curiosity, do you remember if RTP is accessible via public transportation?
BME is Carolina’s only engineering program. It’s a joint degree offered in conjunction with NC State.
http://bmeundergrad.bme.unc.edu/
Public transportation in the Research Triangle is perfectly adequate, and the local bus system is fare-free for all riders. Given the low cost of options like Uber and Lyft, transportation is a minor issue these days regardless, and it’s markedly more pleasant to wait on public transit in NC than Boston in the winter.
@warblersrule- Thanks for the info.
I think I have figured it out.
Biomedical is one of the more recent additions to the field of engineering.
When it came time to create a program…
The engineering program was based at NC State
The medical school was based at Chapel Hill
So they created a program that spanned the two campuses
Makes sense, but has implications.
Tufts has two “bio related” campuses as well (three if you count the vet school).
The Medical, Dental and Nutrition schools are downtown,
Engineering is in Medford/Somerville .
The Biomedical Program is in Medford/Somerville - which has a different set of implications.
Harvard, MIT and Harvard’s largest teaching hospital reside in between Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus and the downtown campus (there are research partnerships between the universities/hospitals).
This makes it complicated to compare…
I would agree with this, but I would also assert that when it does snow in NC it is markedly less safe to drive in NC than Boston
Public transportation from Chapel Hill to RTP doesn’t compare to PT in Boston area. I’d say you’d really need a car if you had an internship in RTP and lived in Chapel Hill.
I’m not sure how the BME program works now at UNC but my roommate in the 80s was a BME at UNC and I believe all of his classes were at UNC.