MAJORS · 45 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a recreation & leisure studies degree worth it?
Part of Public Administration and Human Services — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$188,024. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$188,024
across 69 bachelor’s programs · 5,204 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$182K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$79K ⟷ +$384K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
17.7%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
34
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$92K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$100K
Questions
- Is a recreation & leisure studies degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 69 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Recreation & Leisure Studies is +$188,024 and the median is +$182,309. 17.7% 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 +$78,748 and +$383,788.
- How long until a recreation & leisure studies degree pays off?
- Among Recreation & Leisure Studies programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 34 (FREOPP 2021). 17.7% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a recreation & leisure studies major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Recreation & Leisure Studies graduates span +$78,748 to +$383,788 — a +$305K 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). “Recreation & Leisure Studies: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/recreation-and-leisure-studies