MAJORS · 12 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a human development & family studies degree worth it?
Part of Miscellaneous — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, no — the mean lifetime ROI is −$38,571, by FREOPP’s own published number. The honest details matter.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
−$38,571
across 162 bachelor’s programs · 24,101 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
−$25K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$116K ⟷ +$58K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
62.6%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
39
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$71K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$103K
Questions
- Is a human development & family studies degree worth it?
- On average no — across 162 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Human Development & Family Studies is −$38,571 and the median is −$25,307. 62.6% 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 −$115,652 and +$57,961.
- How long until a human development & family studies degree pays off?
- Among Human Development & Family Studies programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 39 (FREOPP 2021). 62.6% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a human development & family studies major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Human Development & Family Studies graduates span −$115,652 to +$57,961 — a +$174K 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.
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Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Human Development & Family Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/human-development-and-family-studies