There was a time when choosing a major was framed as a question of self-discovery. Advice said to follow your interests, and the career part will sort itself out. Student Choice’s 2026 ROI study shows how reliable this advice is, given an average annual price tag of $43,098.
The report is careful to note that majors should ideally be chosen based on personal interests, but it also makes a fair case that doing so might be a luxury. When four years of schooling costs $172,392 before a student even earns a dollar, passion and curiosity might not be enough when it’s time to decide college majors. It’s understandable why students want their investment to pay off.
The data the team collected is less a hierarchy of degrees worth and more a map of where workforce demand has pooled. Aviation’s 574.3% ROI isn’t a statement about the intrinsic value of flight, but it is a worker shortage made visible. Veteran pilots are retiring faster than replacements arrive, and with an admirable $198,000 median earning in this field, it’s no surprise students are flocking to aviation programs.
Fine arts rank last among degree ROI at 145%. Yet fine arts graduates who become art directors earn $111,040, which is a 322.1% ROI. The degree is the same, but the career path varies. This defies another popular narrative that states that some majors are mistakes to study. What separates the ROI outcomes is less the degree chosen and more the choices students make of what they’ll do with that degree.
Unfortunately, we also see education and social work at the bottom of the list, suggesting that students are paying attention to ROI when choosing degrees. But that means we’re losing students who would be naturally talented teachers, social workers, and artists. ROI is important, but perhaps it should be considered just as deeply as interests and talents.
