MAJORS · 22 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a specialized health professions degree worth it?
Part of Health and Nursing — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$33,764. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$33,764
across 59 bachelor’s programs · 5,788 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
−$41K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$146K ⟷ +$141K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
52.9%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
35
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$40K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$118K
Questions
- Is a specialized health professions degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 59 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Specialized Health Professions is +$33,764 and the median is −$41,060. 52.9% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$146,239 and +$140,802.
- How long until a specialized health professions degree pays off?
- For Specialized Health Professions, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 35. 52.9% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for a specialized health professions major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Specialized Health Professions graduates span −$146,239 to +$140,802 — a +$287K 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). “Specialized Health Professions: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/specialized-health-professions