The Most Regretted College Majors

A survey of college graduates by the Federal Reserve as part of their Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2023 report. It reveals the majors grads regret most.

  • The Fed’s report involves feedback from over 11-thousand adults and finds that overall, 35% of college grads would pick a different major, if they had a second chance.
  • But regretting your major is different from regretting college, as more than 80% of those with bachelor’s degrees say their education helped prepare them for a good job.
  • While 70% of Americans enroll in higher education after high school, only 37% go on to earn a bachelor’s degree or more.

The Most-Regretted College Majors

  1. Social and behavioral sciences (regretted by 44% of grads)
  2. Humanities and arts (43%)
  3. Life sciences (also 43%)
  4. Law (41%)
  5. Education (38%)

The Least-Regretted College Majors

  1. Engineering (regretted by 27% of grads)
  2. Computer and information sciences (31%)
  3. Health (32%)
  4. Vocational/technical training (34%)
  5. Business/management (34%)

Photo: Blend Images - Mike Kemp / Tetra images / Getty Images


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