10 Worst College Majors by ROI in 2026
Not every degree pays for itself. These 10 majors have the widest gap between what you pay and what you earn.
The average college graduate earns more than a high school graduate. That is true in the aggregate. But "average" hides a brutal range: computer engineering graduates earn $82,781 on average. Drama graduates earn $22,888. Same four years. Same diploma frame. Completely different financial outcomes.
We ranked every major in our database by average median earnings across all schools that report data. The list below is the bottom 10 - the majors where the typical graduate earns the least relative to what they paid.
This is not an argument against studying what you love. It is an argument for knowing the price.
The 10 Worst College Majors by Financial Return
1. Drama and Theatre Arts - $22,888
Average median earnings across 287 programs. That is roughly $11/hour for a full-time worker, barely above the federal minimum wage for tipped employees and below the median high school graduate salary in most states.
The math: a student paying the national average net price ($21,258/year) invests roughly $85,000 over four years, plus $140,000 in forgone earnings (what they would have earned working instead). Total investment: approximately $225,000. At $22,888/year, the earnings premium over a high school graduate ($35,000 median) is negative. This is not a slow payback - it is no payback.
There are exceptions. Graduates from a handful of conservatory programs in major markets do break through to viable careers in performance, production, or adjacent entertainment fields. But across 287 programs, the median outcome is a salary that makes loan repayment difficult.
2. Dance - $26,152
Across 73 programs, dance graduates earn $26,152 on average. The debt-to-earnings ratio for a student carrying the national median debt of $23,250 is 0.89 - meaning nearly a full year's salary goes to debt before interest.
Many dance programs are housed at expensive private arts institutions where net prices run $30,000-$50,000/year. The math gets worse at those price points.
3. Film, Video, and Photographic Arts - $27,398
152 programs, $27,398 average earnings. The film industry has a well-documented winner-take-most dynamic: a small number of graduates earn six figures while the median struggles. The College Scorecard captures the median, not the dream.
At a school like NYU Tisch (estimated cost of attendance above $80,000/year), a film degree requires earnings significantly above this median to break even. At a state school charging $15,000/year in net price, the same degree is a much smaller financial bet.
4. Visual and Performing Arts (General) - $28,708
The catch-all category across 80 programs. General visual and performing arts degrees lack the specialization that can drive earnings in specific creative fields. Employers hiring for specific creative roles often prefer candidates with focused training.
5. Genetics - $29,848
This one surprises people. Genetics sounds like a hard science with lab coats and strong job prospects. The reality: most genetics bachelor's graduates do not work as geneticists. That requires a PhD or medical degree. The bachelor's serves as a pre-graduate stepping stone, and the earnings figure captures what graduates earn without that additional degree.
If you plan to go to graduate school in genetics, the undergraduate ROI is a temporary number. If you do not, $29,848 is what the job market currently pays for a bachelor's in genetics across 65 programs.
6. Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management - $30,016
48 programs, $30,016. This major combines the lower earnings of arts fields with the overhead of a management curriculum. Graduates compete for entry-level roles in arts administration, event management, and media operations - fields that are not known for high starting salaries.
7. Anthropology - $30,192
200 programs, $30,192. Anthropology has a classic academic funnel problem: the field's highest-paying roles (professor, researcher, museum curator) require a PhD, but most students stop at the bachelor's level. The BA alone opens doors to generalist roles in research, nonprofits, and social services - but not to high salaries.
8. Wildlife and Wildlands Science - $30,331
36 programs, $30,331. Conservation and wildlife management roles are meaningful work with modest pay. Federal and state agencies - the primary employers - have rigid pay scales. A GS-5 wildlife biologist starts around $30,000-$35,000 depending on location. The ceiling is real.
9. Fine and Studio Arts - $30,897
This is the big one by volume: 745 programs, making it one of the most widely offered majors in the country. Average median earnings: $30,897. For every student at a well-connected program in a major city who breaks into a creative career earning $60,000+, there are several earning under $30,000 in roles that did not require a degree.
The range matters here. Fine arts from RISD or Pratt carries more weight in the job market than a generic studio arts program at a regional university. But even at top art schools, the median earnings are modest compared to STEM fields.
10. Music - $30,962
299 programs, $30,962. Like drama, music has an extreme distribution: a few graduates build sustainable careers in performance, composition, production, or music education. Most do not. Music education (teaching) is the most reliable path to stable employment, but K-12 teacher salaries rarely exceed $55,000 without a master's degree and years of experience.
For Comparison: The Top 10
| Major | Avg. Median Earnings | Programs |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy | $92,722 | 31 |
| Computer Engineering | $82,781 | 192 |
| Electrical Engineering | $78,731 | 270 |
| Registered Nursing | $76,181 | 846 |
| Construction Management | $75,095 | 54 |
| Industrial Engineering | $74,469 | 97 |
| Aerospace Engineering | $74,019 | 60 |
| Chemical Engineering | $72,906 | 160 |
| Engineering (General) | $72,676 | 59 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $72,218 | 304 |
The Debt Problem
The issue is not just low earnings. It is low earnings combined with real debt.
The national median student debt at graduation is $23,250. For a computer engineering graduate earning $82,781, that debt represents 28% of first-year earnings - manageable by any financial standard. For a drama graduate earning $22,888, that same debt represents 102% of first-year earnings. Standard loan repayment guidelines say total debt should not exceed your first year's salary. Drama, dance, film, and several other majors on this list violate that threshold at the median.
With the One Big Beautiful Bill now capping borrowing and extending repayment timelines, graduates in low-earning fields face a longer path to financial freedom.
Three Things This Data Does Not Mean
1. These fields have no value. Earnings are not the only measure of a degree's worth. Drama programs produce the actors, directors, and writers who create the entertainment industry. Music programs train the performers and educators who sustain cultural life. The question is not whether these fields matter - it is whether borrowing $80,000 to enter them makes financial sense.
2. Every graduate in these fields earns the median. The median is a midpoint. Some drama graduates earn $100,000+ in entertainment careers. Some computer science graduates earn $35,000 at a help desk. But when you are making a borrowing decision, the median is the most honest benchmark - it is where the typical graduate lands.
3. You should only study high-ROI fields. If you are passionate about anthropology and attend a state school at $8,000/year in net price, your total investment is roughly $32,000 plus opportunity cost. That is a very different calculation than borrowing $60,000/year for the same major at a private university. The major is one variable. The price is another. Both matter.
How to Study a Low-ROI Major Without Destroying Your Finances
Minimize the price. If you are going into a field with modest earnings expectations, the single most important variable is what you pay. Attend a public university in-state. Apply for every grant and scholarship available. The difference between $8,000/year and $40,000/year in net price is the difference between a tight but manageable budget and a decade of financial stress.
Consider related fields with better earnings. Love visual art? Graphic design ($32,708) and UX design pay meaningfully more than fine arts while using similar skills. Love writing? Technical writing and content strategy pay more than English literature. Love performance? Arts administration and event production offer more stable income than performance alone.
Limit your borrowing. The old rule applies: do not borrow more than your expected first-year salary. For most majors on this list, that means borrowing as little as possible. If you cannot fund the degree without exceeding this threshold, that is a signal to find a cheaper program - not to borrow more.
Have a career plan before you enroll. "I love theatre" is a reason to take classes. "I will pursue stage management, which has a median salary of $65,000 in major markets, and I plan to intern at X and Y during school" is a career plan. The more specific your path, the better your odds of beating the median.
The Bottom Line
The data does not say "do not study drama" or "avoid fine arts." It says: know the price of what you are buying. A $22,888 median salary is not a mystery or a surprise - it is a documented, measurable outcome reported by hundreds of programs to the federal government.
If you choose one of these fields, do it with open eyes and a plan to minimize cost. Check our major pages for earnings data at specific schools - because where you study these fields matters as much as what you study.
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings figures represent average median earnings 10 years after enrollment across all reporting institutions. Debt figures represent national medians. All figures as of April 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the worst college major for ROI?
Drama and theatre arts has the lowest average median earnings of any major with significant enrollment: $22,888 per year across 287 programs. With a median student debt of $23,250 and four years of forgone earnings, the typical drama graduate faces a debt-to-earnings ratio above 1.0 and a payback period that may never arrive.
Are all art degrees bad investments?
Not necessarily. The financial returns vary enormously by school. A fine arts degree from a school with strong industry connections and low net price can still work financially. The problem is the average: across 745 programs, fine arts graduates earn $30,897. At a school charging $40,000+/year in net price, that is a losing equation. At a school charging $8,000/year, it is manageable.
Should I avoid these majors entirely?
ROI is not the only reason to choose a major. But it should be part of the calculation, especially if you are borrowing money. If you are passionate about one of these fields, look for programs with low net prices, strong career placement, and consider whether a related field with better earnings (like UX design instead of fine arts, or technical writing instead of English) could satisfy the same interests.
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