MAJORS · 59 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a health sciences degree worth it?
Part of Health and Nursing — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$266,316. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$266,316
across 128 bachelor’s programs · 14,005 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$187K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$103K ⟷ +$342K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
14.7%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
35
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$105K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$106K
Questions
- Is a health sciences degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 128 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Health Sciences is +$266,316 and the median is +$186,962. 14.7% 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 +$102,664 and +$342,365.
- How long until a health sciences degree pays off?
- Among Health Sciences programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 35 (FREOPP 2021). 14.7% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a health sciences major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Health Sciences graduates span +$102,664 to +$342,365 — a +$240K 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). “Health Sciences: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/health-sciences