Texas A&M Bachelor’s Degree Has Highest Return On Investment Among Texas Public Universities

For Texas students and parents looking for the best return on investment for their undergraduate degrees, the data is clear: Texas A&M University provides the best value among the state’s public institutions.

An analysis from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP) assessed the return on investment (ROI) — the estimated increase in lifetime earnings a student can expect when enrolling in a degree program minus the costs of college — for 53,000 degree and certificate programs. Among the state’s public universities, a Texas A&M degree holds the highest value, based on FREOPP’s methodology for measuring ROI.

According to FREOPP’s data, the average ROI for a Texas A&M undergraduate degree (assuming on-time completion) is $861,725 — roughly $200,000 more than the average ROI across other Texas public institutions. Additionally, Texas A&M’s ROI is 28.2% higher than the national average.

“Aggies have long known the value of an education at Texas A&M University. It’s one of the reasons we have so many families whose children and children’s children choose Texas A&M,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M University. “This data further underscores the impact of an Aggie education on the lives of our students not just upon graduation but long-term. That’s what we stand for: Developing great leaders of character who are poised to tackle the challenges in their desired career field and rewarded with commensurate earnings.”

Texas A&M students can expect to earn $51,963 on average one year after completing an undergraduate degree program, compared to the state average earnings of $47,340. That’s 9.3% higher than the national average. And after 10 years, students who earn a Texas A&M bachelor’s degree can expect earnings of $85,685 on average, compared to $76,875 on average across other Texas universities. This is also 9.5% higher than the national average.

Not only do Texas A&M graduates see a return on their investment, 61% of Aggie undergraduates also graduate debt-free, 13% above the national average.

FREOPP’s ROI calculations are based on four elements: the amount a student can expect to earn over the course of their life with a particular postsecondary credential – undergraduate certificate, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctoral and professional degree; the amount they would have earned had they not pursued that credential; the cost of education; and the chance that the student will finish their degree program and realize the earnings benefits of the credential.

Other findings:

• Texas A&M has the No. 1 (petroleum engineering), No. 3 (business) and No. 4 (marine transportation) highest-earning public bachelor’s degrees in the state within 10 years of graduation. Chemical engineering and computer engineering rank eighth and ninth, respectively.
• Texas A&M has more degree programs in the top 10 highest-earning public bachelor’s degrees within 10 years of graduation than any other university in the state.
• Petroleum and chemical engineering are the No. 1 and No. 2 highest-earning public bachelor’s degrees within one year of completion. Four Texas A&M degree programs rank in the top 10 for this metric, the most of any university in the state.
• Texas A&M has the No. 1 (petroleum engineering), No. 2 (business), No. 4 (chemical engineering) and No. 5 (marine transportation) highest ROI degrees, respectively, for Texas public universities (when including the risk of dropping out), and take six of the top 10 spots.

The data also shows that within 10 years of completing their degrees, graduates in high-demand STEM fields including petroleum engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, accounting and business consistently see more earnings compared to graduates from any other Texas public university.

The ROI of a Texas A&M degree is also evident in the number of industry leaders who are graduates of the university. Texas A&M is the nation’s top public university for producing CEOs of Fortune 500 companies with seven Aggie CEOs on the annual list compiled by Fortune magazine. Texas A&M is the No. 5 university overall, and the only Texas university in the top 10 for producing Fortune 500 CEOs. It shares the No. 1 public position with Purdue University and the University of Michigan.

“The evidence continues to demonstrate that the excellent student experience and education we provide students while they’re at Texas A&M translates into successful careers,” said Welsh.

About Texas A&M University

Texas A&M was recently named the top university in Texas and the No. 11 public university in the nation by The Wall Street Journal. Among other recent recognitions, the College of Engineering was named a top 10 public engineering school by U.S. News & World Report, with the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering ranked best in the nation. The college also secured the top spot for engineering research expenditures in fiscal year 2023, with $444.7 million in spending. The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering — part of both the College of Engineering and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — is also ranked No. 1 in the nation.