MAJORS · 12 OF 19 BY ROI

Is a physical sciences degree worth it?

On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$404,220. But the spread is the real story.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

+$404,220

across 688 bachelor’s programs · 26,514 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

+$391K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

+$202K ⟷ +$574K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

6.8%

MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE

33

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

+$254K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$111K

The biggest fields inside Physical Sciences

  1. Chemistry. 13,142 grads +$364K
  2. Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. 7,523 grads +$341K
  3. Physics. 3,924 grads +$610K
  4. Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology. 785 grads +$387K
  5. Science Technologies/Technicians, Other. 660 grads +$576K

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 physical sciences degree worth it?
On average yes — across 688 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Physical Sciences is +$404,220 and the median is +$390,901. 6.8% 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 +$202,053 and +$574,308.
How long until a physical sciences degree pays off?
Among Physical Sciences programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 33 (FREOPP 2021). 6.8% of graduates in the category are in programs that never break even at all.
Does the school matter for a physical sciences major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Physical Sciences graduates span +$202,053 to +$574,308 — a +$372K 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). “Physical Sciences: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/physical-sciences