MAJORS · 35 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a romance languages degree worth it?
Part of Miscellaneous — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$114,630. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$114,630
across 351 bachelor’s programs · 17,502 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$106K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$25K ⟷ +$251K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
31%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
36
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$53K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$114K
Questions
- Is a romance languages degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 351 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Romance Languages is +$114,630 and the median is +$106,156. 31% 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 −$25,469 and +$250,842.
- How long until a romance languages degree pays off?
- Among Romance Languages programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 36 (FREOPP 2021). 31% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a romance languages major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Romance Languages graduates span −$25,469 to +$250,842 — a +$276K 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.
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Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Romance Languages: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/romance-languages