MAJORS · 49 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is an area studies degree worth it?
Part of Social Sciences excluding Economics — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$205,186. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$205,186
across 123 bachelor’s programs · 5,785 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$183K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$85K ⟷ +$371K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
18.5%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
36
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$146K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$122K
Questions
- Is an area studies degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 123 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Area Studies is +$205,186 and the median is +$182,625. 18.5% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$84,912 and +$370,574.
- How long until an area studies degree pays off?
- Among Area Studies programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 36 (FREOPP 2021). 18.5% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for an area studies major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Area Studies graduates span +$84,912 to +$370,574 — a +$286K 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). “Area Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/area-studies