MAJORS · 38 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a history degree worth it?
Part of English, Liberal Arts, and Humanities — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$122,768. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$122,768
across 616 bachelor’s programs · 35,841 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$99K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$22K ⟷ +$227K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
29.8%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
39
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$47K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$113K
Questions
- Is a history degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 616 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for History is +$122,768 and the median is +$99,198. 29.8% 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 −$22,294 and +$227,427.
- How long until a history degree pays off?
- Among History programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 39 (FREOPP 2021). 29.8% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a history major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of History graduates span −$22,294 to +$227,427 — a +$250K 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). “History: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/history