MAJORS · 11 OF 19 BY ROI

Is a agriculture and natural resources degree worth it?

On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$303,357. But the spread is the real story.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

+$303,357

across 876 bachelor’s programs · 62,977 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

+$267K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

+$82K ⟷ +$477K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

15.8%

MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE

33

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

+$178K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$107K

The biggest fields inside Agriculture and Natural Resources

  1. Natural Resources Conservation and Research. 22,007 grads +$230K
  2. Animal Sciences. 9,981 grads +$273K
  3. Agricultural Business and Management. 8,199 grads +$604K
  4. Plant Sciences. 3,611 grads +$358K
  5. Agriculture, General. 3,490 grads +$196K

Mean lifetime ROI per field, cohort-weighted. A category average hides this spread — and the per-school spread inside each field is wider still.

Questions

Is a agriculture and natural resources degree worth it?
On average yes — across 876 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Agriculture and Natural Resources is +$303,357 and the median is +$267,348. 15.8% of graduates in this category never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$82,483 and +$477,211.
How long until a agriculture and natural resources degree pays off?
Among Agriculture and Natural Resources programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 33 (FREOPP 2021). 15.8% of graduates in the category are in programs that never break even at all.
Does the school matter for a agriculture and natural resources major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Agriculture and Natural Resources graduates span +$82,483 to +$477,211 — a +$395K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the category average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 19 categories with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Agriculture and Natural Resources: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/agriculture-and-natural-resources