MAJORS · 60 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is an animal science degree worth it?
Part of Agriculture and Natural Resources — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$272,995. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$272,995
across 82 bachelor’s programs · 9,981 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$279K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$121K ⟷ +$395K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
6.4%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
35
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$163K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$101K
Questions
- Is an animal science degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 82 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Animal Science is +$272,995 and the median is +$278,509. 6.4% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$120,505 and +$394,771.
- How long until an animal science degree pays off?
- For Animal Science, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 35. 6.4% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for an animal science major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Animal Science graduates span +$120,505 to +$394,771 — a +$274K 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 field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Animal Science: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/animal-science