MAJORS · 27 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is an ethnic & gender studies degree worth it?
Part of Social Sciences excluding Economics — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$62,815. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$62,815
across 135 bachelor’s programs · 6,770 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$51K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$38K ⟷ +$173K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
32.5%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
39
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$12K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$106K
Questions
- Is an ethnic & gender studies degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 135 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Ethnic & Gender Studies is +$62,815 and the median is +$51,224. 32.5% 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 −$37,820 and +$173,436.
- How long until an ethnic & gender studies degree pays off?
- Among Ethnic & Gender Studies programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 39 (FREOPP 2021). 32.5% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for an ethnic & gender studies major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Ethnic & Gender Studies graduates span −$37,820 to +$173,436 — a +$211K 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). “Ethnic & Gender Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/ethnic-and-gender-studies