MAJORS · 1 OF 19 BY ROI

Is a philosophy and religious studies degree worth it?

On average, no — the mean lifetime ROI is −$111,915, by FREOPP’s own published number. The honest details matter.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

−$111,915

across 439 bachelor’s programs · 20,114 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

−$82K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

−$259K ⟷ +$106K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

59.8%

MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE

38

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

−$126K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$122K

The biggest fields inside Philosophy and Religious Studies

  1. Philosophy. 5,473 grads +$38K
  2. Religion/Religious Studies. 5,440 grads −$296K
  3. Bible/Biblical Studies. 3,863 grads −$92K
  4. Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries. 1,710 grads −$168K
  5. Theological and Ministerial Studies. 1,547 grads −$61K

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 philosophy and religious studies degree worth it?
On average no — across 439 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Philosophy and Religious Studies is −$111,915 and the median is −$81,669. 59.8% 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 −$259,353 and +$106,067.
How long until a philosophy and religious studies degree pays off?
Among Philosophy and Religious Studies programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 38 (FREOPP 2021). 59.8% of graduates in the category are in programs that never break even at all.
Does the school matter for a philosophy and religious studies major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Philosophy and Religious Studies graduates span −$259,353 to +$106,067 — a +$365K 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). “Philosophy and Religious Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/philosophy-and-religious-studies