Lowest-Debt Majors
Fields of study whose graduates carry the least typical federal debt.
| # | Major | Field | Median earnings (5 yr) | Typical debt | ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ground Transportation | Transportation & Materials Moving | $44,151 | $6,049 | -111% | Poor return | |
| 2 | Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | Health Professions & Nursing | $30,576 | $6,647 | -294% | Poor return | |
| 3 | Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services | Health Professions & Nursing | $24,728 | $8,545 | -370% | Poor return | |
| 4 | Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | Personal & Culinary Services | $22,413 | $8,912 | -400% | Poor return | |
| 5 | Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions | Health Professions & Nursing | $44,457 | $9,148 | -107% | Poor return | |
| 6 | Precision Metal Working | Precision Production | $46,725 | $9,230 | -77% | Poor return | |
| 7 | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | Construction Trades | $49,214 | $9,541 | -44% | Poor return | |
| 8 | Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services | Construction Trades | $50,900 | $9,551 | -22% | Poor return | |
| 9 | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Construction Trades | $59,986 | $9,663 | +98% | Strong return | |
| 10 | Teaching Assistants/Aides | Education | $29,252 | $10,623 | -308% | Poor return | |
| 11 | Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Mechanic & Repair Technologies | $49,288 | $10,927 | -44% | Poor return | |
| 12 | Carpenters | Construction Trades | $43,497 | $11,250 | -120% | Poor return | |
| 13 | Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) | Mechanic & Repair Technologies | $47,142 | $11,313 | -72% | Poor return | |
| 14 | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | Mechanic & Repair Technologies | $61,654 | $11,347 | +119% | Strong return | |
| 15 | Physical Science Technologies/Technicians | Science Technologies | $89,057 | $11,582 | +478% | Strong return | |
| 16 | Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $47,093 | $12,077 | -73% | Poor return | |
| 17 | Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Mechanic & Repair Technologies | $45,148 | $12,519 | -98% | Poor return | |
| 18 | Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Health Professions & Nursing | $49,681 | $12,664 | -39% | Poor return | |
| 19 | Physical Sciences, General | Physical Sciences | $50,842 | $12,705 | -24% | Poor return | |
| 20 | Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Mechanic & Repair Technologies | $49,168 | $13,090 | -46% | Poor return | |
| 21 | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Health Professions & Nursing | $42,686 | $13,207 | -130% | Poor return | |
| 22 | Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | Business, Management & Marketing | $32,302 | $13,303 | -265% | Poor return | |
| 23 | Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Health Professions & Nursing | $37,958 | $13,989 | -191% | Poor return | |
| 24 | Data Processing | Computer & Information Sciences | $47,524 | $14,368 | -67% | Poor return | |
| 25 | Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $37,154 | $14,477 | -202% | Poor return | |
| 26 | Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Liberal Arts & Humanities | $44,357 | $14,907 | -108% | Poor return | |
| 27 | Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $84,190 | $15,333 | +405% | Strong return | |
| 28 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Other | Science Technologies | $68,062 | $15,513 | +197% | Strong return | |
| 29 | Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $48,654 | $15,980 | -53% | Poor return | |
| 30 | Agricultural Production Operations | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $45,838 | $16,093 | -89% | Poor return | |
| 31 | Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $56,619 | $16,393 | +49% | Break-even | |
| 32 | Culinary Arts and Related Services | Personal & Culinary Services | $32,080 | $16,431 | -266% | Poor return | |
| 33 | Agricultural Mechanization | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $64,276 | $16,570 | +147% | Strong return | |
| 34 | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | Personal & Culinary Services | $52,167 | $16,769 | -8% | Poor return | |
| 35 | Agricultural Business and Management | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $61,638 | $17,134 | +113% | Strong return | |
| 36 | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | Health Professions & Nursing | $52,592 | $17,149 | -3% | Poor return | |
| 37 | Plant Sciences | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $54,791 | $17,551 | +25% | Break-even | |
| 38 | Fire Protection | Homeland Security & Law Enforcement | $70,408 | $18,165 | +223% | Strong return | |
| 39 | Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $71,050 | $18,204 | +231% | Strong return | |
| 40 | Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $68,554 | $18,521 | +199% | Strong return | |
| 41 | Environmental Design | Architecture | $59,584 | $18,870 | +85% | Strong return | |
| 42 | Agriculture, General | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $52,403 | $18,912 | -6% | Poor return | |
| 43 | Marine Transportation | Transportation & Materials Moving | $93,377 | $18,954 | +513% | Strong return | |
| 44 | Cognitive Science | Interdisciplinary Studies | $77,676 | $18,959 | +314% | Strong return | |
| 45 | Agricultural Public Services | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $55,260 | $19,231 | +30% | Break-even | |
| 46 | Biological and Physical Sciences | Interdisciplinary Studies | $57,917 | $19,553 | +63% | Break-even | |
| 47 | Forestry | Natural Resources & Conservation | $60,834 | $19,678 | +100% | Strong return | |
| 48 | Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Education | $70,435 | $19,795 | +221% | Strong return | |
| 49 | Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $33,803 | $19,853 | -241% | Poor return | |
| 50 | East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Foreign Languages & Linguistics | $53,565 | $19,914 | +8% | Break-even | |
| 51 | Philosophy | Philosophy & Religious Studies | $56,026 | $20,085 | +39% | Break-even | |
| 52 | Mathematics | Mathematics & Statistics | $73,888 | $20,154 | +264% | Strong return | |
| 53 | Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | Computer & Information Sciences | $71,028 | $20,174 | +228% | Strong return | |
| 54 | Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Area, Ethnic & Cultural Studies | $51,742 | $20,228 | -15% | Poor return | |
| 55 | Applied Mathematics | Mathematics & Statistics | $99,566 | $20,253 | +587% | Strong return | |
| 56 | Animal Sciences | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $52,962 | $20,305 | +0% | Break-even | |
| 57 | Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Foreign Languages & Linguistics | $55,503 | $20,355 | +32% | Break-even | |
| 58 | Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Biological & Biomedical Sciences | $68,622 | $20,497 | +197% | Strong return | |
| 59 | Legal Support Services | Legal Professions & Studies | $45,835 | $20,631 | -90% | Poor return | |
| 60 | Natural Sciences | Interdisciplinary Studies | $61,473 | $20,701 | +107% | Strong return | |
| 61 | Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $74,157 | $20,710 | +267% | Strong return | |
| 62 | Anthropology | Social Sciences | $47,174 | $20,720 | -73% | Poor return | |
| 63 | Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | Parks, Recreation & Fitness | $51,181 | $20,903 | -22% | Poor return | |
| 64 | Physics | Physical Sciences | $88,303 | $20,935 | +444% | Strong return | |
| 65 | Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Foreign Languages & Linguistics | $52,442 | $20,944 | -7% | Poor return | |
| 66 | Food Science and Technology | Agriculture & Related Sciences | $69,951 | $21,089 | +213% | Strong return | |
| 67 | Economics | Social Sciences | $84,830 | $21,120 | +400% | Strong return | |
| 68 | Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Biological & Biomedical Sciences | $70,821 | $21,137 | +224% | Strong return | |
| 69 | Business/Managerial Economics | Business, Management & Marketing | $83,472 | $21,139 | +383% | Strong return | |
| 70 | Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $62,963 | $21,182 | +125% | Strong return | |
| 71 | Insurance | Business, Management & Marketing | $88,157 | $21,213 | +441% | Strong return | |
| 72 | Science, Technology and Society | Interdisciplinary Studies | $81,097 | $21,225 | +353% | Strong return | |
| 73 | Engineering Science | Engineering | $79,113 | $21,401 | +328% | Strong return | |
| 74 | Chemistry | Physical Sciences | $73,122 | $21,439 | +252% | Strong return | |
| 75 | American Sign Language | Foreign Languages & Linguistics | $43,560 | $21,470 | -118% | Poor return | |
| 76 | Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Interdisciplinary Studies | $57,195 | $21,475 | +53% | Break-even | |
| 77 | Political Science and Government | Social Sciences | $64,077 | $21,535 | +139% | Strong return | |
| 78 | Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Communications Technologies | $37,294 | $21,591 | -197% | Poor return | |
| 79 | Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Engineering Technologies | $71,101 | $21,595 | +227% | Strong return | |
| 80 | Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | Biological & Biomedical Sciences | $65,793 | $21,631 | +160% | Strong return | |
| 81 | Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | Natural Resources & Conservation | $44,935 | $21,670 | -101% | Poor return | |
| 82 | Agricultural Engineering | Engineering | $84,027 | $21,731 | +388% | Strong return | |
| 83 | Urban Studies/Affairs | Social Sciences | $66,845 | $21,781 | +173% | Strong return | |
| 84 | Hospitality Administration/Management | Business, Management & Marketing | $46,992 | $21,785 | -75% | Poor return | |
| 85 | Area Studies | Area, Ethnic & Cultural Studies | $63,564 | $21,803 | +132% | Strong return | |
| 86 | Statistics | Mathematics & Statistics | $105,595 | $21,823 | +658% | Strong return | |
| 87 | Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | Biological & Biomedical Sciences | $77,242 | $21,844 | +303% | Strong return | |
| 88 | English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | English Language & Literature | $46,640 | $21,867 | -80% | Poor return | |
| 89 | Computer Programming | Computer & Information Sciences | $66,264 | $21,883 | +166% | Strong return | |
| 90 | Sociology | Social Sciences | $51,257 | $21,943 | -22% | Poor return | |
| 91 | Engineering, General | Engineering | $89,688 | $22,016 | +458% | Strong return | |
| 92 | Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | Engineering Technologies | $89,857 | $22,024 | +461% | Strong return | |
| 93 | Computer Science | Computer & Information Sciences | $112,491 | $22,058 | +743% | Strong return | |
| 94 | History | History | $52,260 | $22,071 | -9% | Poor return | |
| 95 | Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | Engineering Technologies | $69,385 | $22,111 | +205% | Strong return | |
| 96 | Social Sciences, General | Social Sciences | $50,256 | $22,125 | -34% | Poor return | |
| 97 | English Language and Literature, General | English Language & Literature | $48,706 | $22,149 | -54% | Poor return | |
| 98 | Zoology/Animal Biology | Biological & Biomedical Sciences | $50,712 | $22,319 | -29% | Poor return | |
| 99 | Computer Engineering | Engineering | $112,722 | $22,332 | +745% | Strong return | |
| 100 | Genetics | Biological & Biomedical Sciences | $77,429 | $22,418 | +305% | Strong return |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
Top-Rated Colleges (DR Rating)Best ROI Colleges in the U.S.Best Value CollegesHighest 20-Year ROI CollegesBest Colleges for Economic MobilityHighest-Earning CollegesLowest-Debt CollegesLowest Net-Price CollegesBest-Rated Majors (DR Rating)Highest-Paying MajorsBest ROI MajorsFastest-Growing Majors by Job OutlookMajors With the Most Job Openings