MAJORS · 82 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a general business degree worth it?
Part of Business and Management — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$586,735. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$586,735
across 252 bachelor’s programs · 44,336 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$461K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$348K ⟷ +$724K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
1%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
30
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$335K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$118K
Questions
- Is a general business degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 252 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for General Business is +$586,735 and the median is +$460,835. 1% 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 +$347,765 and +$723,985.
- How long until a general business degree pays off?
- For General Business, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 30. 1% 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 general business major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of General Business graduates span +$347,765 to +$723,985 — a +$376K 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). “General Business: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/general-business