MAJORS · 17 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a clinical & counseling psychology degree worth it?
Part of Psychology — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$11,789. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$11,789
across 57 bachelor’s programs · 4,820 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$28K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$126K ⟷ +$150K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
41.5%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
39
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$41K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$112K
Questions
- Is a clinical & counseling psychology degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 57 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Clinical & Counseling Psychology is +$11,789 and the median is +$28,252. 41.5% 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 −$125,663 and +$149,676.
- How long until a clinical & counseling psychology degree pays off?
- Among Clinical & Counseling Psychology programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 39 (FREOPP 2021). 41.5% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a clinical & counseling psychology major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Clinical & Counseling Psychology graduates span −$125,663 to +$149,676 — a +$275K 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). “Clinical & Counseling Psychology: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/clinical-and-counseling-psychology