MAJORS · 32 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a biology degree worth it?
Part of Life Sciences and Biology — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$103,625. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$103,625
across 955 bachelor’s programs · 92,250 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$115K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$29K ⟷ +$238K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
29.7%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
39
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$20K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$114K
Questions
- Is a biology degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 955 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Biology is +$103,625 and the median is +$115,492. 29.7% 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 −$28,647 and +$237,642.
- How long until a biology degree pays off?
- Among Biology programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 39 (FREOPP 2021). 29.7% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a biology major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Biology graduates span −$28,647 to +$237,642 — a +$266K 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). “Biology: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/biology