MAJORS · 43 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a pre-health studies degree worth it?
Part of Health and Nursing — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$177,237. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$177,237
across 54 bachelor’s programs · 4,375 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$99K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$29K ⟷ +$268K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
18.1%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
44
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$46K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$114K
Questions
- Is a pre-health studies degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 54 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Pre-Health Studies is +$177,237 and the median is +$99,493. 18.1% 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 +$29,032 and +$267,669.
- How long until a pre-health studies degree pays off?
- Among Pre-Health Studies programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 44 (FREOPP 2021). 18.1% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a pre-health studies major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Pre-Health Studies graduates span +$29,032 to +$267,669 — a +$239K 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). “Pre-Health Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/pre-health-studies