MAJORS · 86 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a physics degree worth it?
Part of Physical Sciences — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$609,945. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$609,945
across 129 bachelor’s programs · 3,924 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$545K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$414K ⟷ +$740K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
4.1%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
31
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$435K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$113K
Questions
- Is a physics degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 129 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Physics is +$609,945 and the median is +$545,478. 4.1% 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 +$413,735 and +$739,784.
- How long until a physics degree pays off?
- Among Physics programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 31 (FREOPP 2021). 4.1% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a physics major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Physics graduates span +$413,735 to +$739,784 — a +$326K 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). “Physics: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/physics