MAJORS · 76 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a business administration & management degree worth it?
Part of Business and Management — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$524,477. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$524,477
across 1,169 bachelor’s programs · 289,891 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$484K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$312K ⟷ +$712K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
1.8%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
31
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$236K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$117K
Questions
- Is a business administration & management degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 1,169 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Business Administration & Management is +$524,477 and the median is +$484,499. 1.8% 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 +$312,056 and +$712,070.
- How long until a business administration & management degree pays off?
- For Business Administration & Management, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 31. 1.8% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for a business administration & management major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Business Administration & Management graduates span +$312,056 to +$712,070 — a +$400K 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). “Business Administration & Management: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/business-administration-and-management