MAJORS · 44 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a criminology degree worth it?
Part of Social Sciences excluding Economics — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$181,721. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$181,721
across 115 bachelor’s programs · 15,516 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$176K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$103K ⟷ +$257K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
8.8%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
36
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$75K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$110K
Questions
- Is a criminology degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 115 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Criminology is +$181,721 and the median is +$175,763. 8.8% 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 +$102,956 and +$257,460.
- How long until a criminology degree pays off?
- For Criminology, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 36. 8.8% 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 criminology major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Criminology graduates span +$102,956 to +$257,460 — a +$155K 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). “Criminology: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/criminology