MAJORS · 50 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a liberal arts & general studies degree worth it?
Part of English, Liberal Arts, and Humanities — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$206,836. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$206,836
across 495 bachelor’s programs · 71,272 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$204K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$63K ⟷ +$329K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
18.7%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
36
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$77K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$110K
Questions
- Is a liberal arts & general studies degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 495 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Liberal Arts & General Studies is +$206,836 and the median is +$204,109. 18.7% 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 +$63,376 and +$329,429.
- How long until a liberal arts & general studies degree pays off?
- Among Liberal Arts & General Studies programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 36 (FREOPP 2021). 18.7% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a liberal arts & general studies major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Liberal Arts & General Studies graduates span +$63,376 to +$329,429 — a +$266K 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). “Liberal Arts & General Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/liberal-arts-and-general-studies