Bachelor's Degrees With Best and Worst Returns on Investment

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A new analysis from Investopedia found that college graduates with a computer science degree generally earn high wages post-graduation and receive the highest return on their investment, while those with a theology and religion major have the lowest return on their investment when comparing student debt versus wages after 10 years.

Why it matters

Paying for a bachelor's degree and taking on student debt are major risks for many college students. It's important for incoming students to understand the wages they will likely earn after graduation, as that will shape their household finances and broader economic mobility for years to come.

The details

The college degree with the lowest ROI is a theology and religion major, which generates an 842.83% return on the debt a student incurs. The median student loan borrowing amount for a theology and religion major is about $38,722, and they would pay a total of $52,502 for their degree over 10 years. In contrast, a computer science major would theoretically have the highest ROI, at 2,899.45%, starting with an annual income of $80,000 and paying about $31,434 in total student debt over 10 years.

• The analysis used data on average student loan debt per bachelor's program from the Education Data Initiative.
• The analysis calculated income for college graduates after 10 years using median early-career yearly income data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

What’s next

The analysis highlights the importance for prospective college students to carefully consider the potential return on investment of different majors when deciding on a course of study.