MAJORS · 24 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a philosophy degree worth it?
Part of Philosophy and Religious Studies — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$37,740. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$37,740
across 175 bachelor’s programs · 5,473 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$24K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$136K ⟷ +$165K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
47.1%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
38
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$6K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$115K
Questions
- Is a philosophy degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 175 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Philosophy is +$37,740 and the median is +$24,012. 47.1% 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 −$135,960 and +$165,003.
- How long until a philosophy degree pays off?
- Among Philosophy programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 38 (FREOPP 2021). 47.1% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a philosophy major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Philosophy graduates span −$135,960 to +$165,003 — a +$301K 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). “Philosophy: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/philosophy