MAJORS · 62 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is an international relations degree worth it?
Part of Social Sciences excluding Economics — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$283,842. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$283,842
across 159 bachelor’s programs · 13,330 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$273K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$108K ⟷ +$435K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
10.6%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
36
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$205K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$134K
Questions
- Is an international relations degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 159 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for International Relations is +$283,842 and the median is +$273,212. 10.6% 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 +$107,944 and +$435,090.
- How long until an international relations degree pays off?
- For International Relations, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 36. 10.6% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for an international relations major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of International Relations graduates span +$107,944 to +$435,090 — a +$327K 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). “International Relations: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/international-relations