The College Majors That Graduates Regret Most

44% of Americans regret their college major, a new study finds.

Dreambound’s 2023 College Major Satisfaction Survey surveyed 1,000 US adults asking them about their level of satisfaction and regret over their undergraduate major.

MOST SATISFIED, LEAST SATISFIED MAJORS

According to the study, those with arts and STEM majors were the most satisfied with their majors. 40% of art majors and 38% of STEM majors say they don’t regret their college major.

“Our recent study confirms a lot of oft-given advice and trends: STEM majors are most likely to be satisfied with their major choices, likely because of the higher salaries and job opportunities,” Athena Kan, co-founder and CEO of Dreambound, says.

For art majors, lack of job opportunities wasn’t their primary concern; instead, low pay was the biggest reason they regretted studying art in college.

Education and business majors were the most likely to regret their college major, with 53% of education majors and 49% of business majors saying they wish they studied something else. The most common reason why Americans regret their majors? They were interested in another subject (56%). Lack of job opportunities (23%) and low pay (21%) were the second and third biggest reasons.

“This matches labor market data: STEM, healthcare, and business-related jobs have grown more quickly compared to other fields, so job outcomes are less of a concern,” Kan says. “However, many students attracted to these fields for job prospects end up regretting their choice when they realize they aren’t interested in the subject. On the other hand, many students who studied other fields found both economic challenges and lack of interest in the subject.”

GEN Z LEAST LIKELY TO REGRET THEIR MAJOR

When comparing different generations, the study found that Gen Z (38%) was the least likely to regret their college major. Millennials (50%) were the most likely to regret their major. Gen Z was also the most likely generation to study STEM in college at 37%. In contrast, only 24% of Millennials studied STEM.

“Gen Zers, with vast amounts of information at their disposal, are more pragmatic and analytical about their decisions than members of previous generations were,” a study by McKinsey finds. “They already show a high preference for regular employment rather than freelance or part-time work, which may come as a surprise compared to the attitude of millennials, for example.”

METHODOLOGY

Dreambound’s study sample involved of over 1,000 U.S. adults, who were surveyed in October 2023 through the Prolific survey platform. It’s important to note that while the sample does consider a diverse range of ages, college education levels, races, and geographic regions, the results are not fully representative of the entire U.S. population.

Sources: Dreambound, McKinsey

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