MAJORS · 56 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a journalism degree worth it?
Part of Communications and Journalism — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$235,809. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$235,809
across 217 bachelor’s programs · 26,180 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$250K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$82K ⟷ +$397K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
13.9%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
34
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$141K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$109K
Questions
- Is a journalism degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 217 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Journalism is +$235,809 and the median is +$250,486. 13.9% 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 +$82,001 and +$397,409.
- How long until a journalism degree pays off?
- For Journalism, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 34. 13.9% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for a journalism major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Journalism graduates span +$82,001 to +$397,409 — a +$315K 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). “Journalism: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/journalism