MAJORS · 4 OF 19 BY ROI

Is a life sciences and biology degree worth it?

On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$106,017. But the spread is the real story.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

+$106,017

across 1,558 bachelor’s programs · 130,420 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

+$104K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

−$38K ⟷ +$243K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

31.5%

MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE

39

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

+$29K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$114K

The biggest fields inside Life Sciences and Biology

  1. Biology, General. 92,250 grads +$104K
  2. Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. 8,947 grads +$252K
  3. Neurobiology and Neurosciences. 5,891 grads +$146K
  4. Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences. 5,570 grads −$50K
  5. Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. 4,625 grads −$30K

Mean lifetime ROI per field, cohort-weighted. A category average hides this spread — and the per-school spread inside each field is wider still.

Questions

Is a life sciences and biology degree worth it?
On average yes — across 1,558 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Life Sciences and Biology is +$106,017 and the median is +$104,063. 31.5% of graduates in this category never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$38,440 and +$242,910.
How long until a life sciences and biology degree pays off?
Among Life Sciences and Biology programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 39 (FREOPP 2021). 31.5% of graduates in the category are in programs that never break even at all.
Does the school matter for a life sciences and biology major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Life Sciences and Biology graduates span −$38,440 to +$242,910 — a +$281K 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 category average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 19 categories with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Life Sciences and Biology: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/life-sciences-and-biology