MAJORS · 4 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a drama & theatre arts degree worth it?
Part of Visual Arts and Music — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, no — the mean lifetime ROI is −$169,290, by FREOPP’s own published number. The honest details matter.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
−$169,290
across 364 bachelor’s programs · 20,828 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
−$182K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$270K ⟷ −$92K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
87.6%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
42
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$165K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$124K
Questions
- Is a drama & theatre arts degree worth it?
- On average no — across 364 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Drama & Theatre Arts is −$169,290 and the median is −$182,326. 87.6% 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 −$269,660 and −$91,733.
- How long until a drama & theatre arts degree pays off?
- Among Drama & Theatre Arts programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 42 (FREOPP 2021). 87.6% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a drama & theatre arts major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Drama & Theatre Arts graduates span −$269,660 to −$91,733 — a +$178K 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). “Drama & Theatre Arts: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/drama-and-theatre-arts