MAJORS · 94 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is an information technology degree worth it?
Part of Computer and Information Sciences — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$742,720. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$742,720
across 77 bachelor’s programs · 8,361 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$608K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$593K ⟷ +$881K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
0%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
28
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$234K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$120K
Questions
- Is an information technology degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 77 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Information Technology is +$742,720 and the median is +$607,787. 0% 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 +$592,883 and +$880,707.
- How long until an information technology degree pays off?
- Among Information Technology programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 28 (FREOPP 2021). 0% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for an information technology major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Information Technology graduates span +$592,883 to +$880,707 — a +$288K 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). “Information Technology: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/information-technology