MAJORS · 65 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is an experimental psychology degree worth it?
Part of Psychology — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$306,665. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$306,665
across 69 bachelor’s programs · 9,146 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$292K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$215K ⟷ +$377K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
10.5%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
35
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$214K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$105K
Questions
- Is an experimental psychology degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 69 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Experimental Psychology is +$306,665 and the median is +$292,034. 10.5% 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 +$215,100 and +$376,726.
- How long until an experimental psychology degree pays off?
- Among Experimental Psychology programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 35 (FREOPP 2021). 10.5% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for an experimental psychology major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Experimental Psychology graduates span +$215,100 to +$376,726 — a +$162K 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). “Experimental Psychology: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/experimental-psychology