MAJORS · 16 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is an education studies degree worth it?
Part of Education — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$5,583. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$5,583
across 103 bachelor’s programs · 9,093 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$5K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$153K ⟷ +$139K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
40.5%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
42
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$47K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$113K
Questions
- Is an education studies degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 103 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Education Studies is +$5,583 and the median is +$4,953. 40.5% 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 −$152,642 and +$139,295.
- How long until an education studies degree pays off?
- For Education Studies, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 42. 40.5% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for an education studies major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Education Studies graduates span −$152,642 to +$139,295 — a +$292K 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). “Education Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/education-studies