Surveys consistently show that roughly 40-50% of college graduates say they would choose a different major if they could do it again. The most regretted majors tend to be those where career outcomes don't match expectations — particularly journalism, communications, liberal arts, education, and some social sciences. The least regretted majors tend to be those with clear career paths and strong salary outcomes: computer science, engineering, nursing, and accounting. Regret correlates more strongly with career outcome satisfaction than with the major's difficulty.
Nearly half of all college graduates wish they'd chosen differently. That number sounds devastating, but it needs context. "Regret" in these surveys ranges from "I wish I'd picked something slightly more practical" to "my major actively harmed my career prospects." The intensity matters, and most regret falls on the milder end of the spectrum.
Still, the pattern in the data is clear: people regret their major when it doesn't lead where they expected it to. Understanding which majors carry higher regret rates — and why — helps you make a more informed choice.
Key Statistics at a Glance
These figures draw from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking and from multiple national surveys of college graduates.12
Majors with the Highest Regret Rates
Based on multiple surveys of college graduates, these majors consistently show higher-than-average regret rates:
Journalism and media — Regret rates often among the highest across surveys. The journalism job market has contracted significantly with the decline of print media, and starting salaries are low relative to other bachelor's degree fields. Many journalism graduates find themselves in adjacent fields (marketing, content, PR) and wish they'd prepared more directly for those careers.
English and literature — High regret is driven primarily by career outcome dissatisfaction. Graduates often love the subject but struggle with the transition to employment. The skills (critical thinking, writing, analysis) are highly transferable, but the career path is less clear than technical majors.
General liberal arts — A broad liberal arts degree without specialization produces high regret because employers have difficulty categorizing what the graduate can do. Students who double major or add a practical minor alongside liberal arts report significantly less regret.
Education — Teacher preparation programs produce high regret rates not because graduates dislike teaching but because compensation feels inadequate relative to the difficulty and emotional demands of the work. Many education graduates leave teaching within five years and wish they'd chosen a major that offered more career flexibility.
Sociology — Moderate-to-high regret driven by unclear career paths for bachelor's-level graduates. Students who pursue sociology with plans for graduate school (law, social work, public policy) report less regret than those who expected the bachelor's to be sufficient.
Psychology — High regret rates among those who discover that a bachelor's in psychology doesn't qualify them for the counseling or clinical work they envisioned. The degree requires a master's or doctoral program for most "psychology" careers. Students who use the psychology degree as a stepping stone to graduate school or pivot into business analytics, HR, or UX research report less regret.
Communications — Mixed regret. Graduates who specialize (public relations, digital media, strategic communication) report less regret than those with a general communications degree. The breadth of the field is a strength if you specialize and a weakness if you don't.
The single biggest predictor of major regret isn't the major itself — it's whether the student understood the career outcomes before choosing. Students who research salary data, talk to working professionals, and understand the graduate school requirements (or lack thereof) for their field regret their choice at dramatically lower rates than students who chose based on interest alone. Spend two hours researching career outcomes before committing to any major. That research time could save you years of regret. Start with our college degree ROI guide.
Majors with the Lowest Regret Rates
These majors consistently show lower-than-average regret rates:
Computer science and information technology — Clear career paths, strong starting salaries, and high demand produce low regret. Graduates who dislike the work (it does happen) still appreciate the career security. See our software engineer career guide for the full picture.
Engineering — Low regret driven by strong salaries and clear professional identity. The difficulty of the major acts as a filter — students who make it through generally found the work engaging. Our engineer career guide covers the career path.
Nursing — Among the lowest regret rates of any major. Job security is exceptional, salaries are strong, and the work provides immediate, tangible meaning. The high demand for nurses means graduates have abundant options.
Accounting — Clear career path (CPA licensing) and strong employment outcomes produce low regret. Accounting graduates know exactly what they're training for, which eliminates the ambiguity that drives regret in broader majors.
Finance — Strong starting salaries and clear career progression in banking, corporate finance, and financial planning produce low regret.
Low regret doesn't mean no regret. Even among computer science and engineering graduates, 20-30% report some level of regret. Common reasons include burnout, discovering they preferred a different type of work, or wishing they'd studied something they found more personally meaningful. No major is regret-proof.
Why People Regret Their Majors
The research identifies several consistent drivers of major regret:1
1. Salary disappointment (most common reason) — Graduates expected higher earnings than they achieved. This is especially common among humanities, education, and social science graduates who compared their outcomes to STEM and business peers.
2. Limited career options — The major didn't open as many doors as expected. Graduates discover that their bachelor's degree is a starting point for graduate school rather than a career credential. Psychology and sociology graduates report this frequently.
3. Misalignment between interest and aptitude — They enjoyed the subject in class but struggled with the actual job it led to. Communication majors who loved media studies but disliked the sales-heavy reality of entry-level marketing, for example.
4. Should have specialized earlier — General business, general communications, and general liberal arts graduates wish they'd picked a more focused specialization that gave them a clearer professional identity.
5. Didn't understand the industry — They chose based on a romanticized version of the career. Journalism students who imagined investigative reporting but found the industry contracting. Criminal justice students who discovered the realities of law enforcement or the legal system.
The Federal Reserve's survey found that graduates who attended more selective institutions reported lower major regret rates regardless of their major. This suggests that institutional resources, alumni networks, and career services partially compensate for major choice. In other words, a liberal arts degree from a well-resourced university produces less regret than the same degree from an under-resourced one, because the support systems help graduates translate their skills into careers.1
How to Avoid Major Regret
The data points to clear strategies for reducing your chances of major regret:
Research career outcomes before declaring. Look at median salaries, employment rates, and common job titles for graduates of any major you're considering. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook is the most reliable free resource.
Talk to working professionals in the field. Not professors — people who work in the careers your major leads to. Ask them what they wish they'd known, whether they'd choose the same major again, and what skills matter most in their daily work.
Understand whether graduate school is required. If the career you want requires a master's or doctoral degree, factor in the additional time and cost. Psychology, social work, counseling, and many health professions require graduate education. See our guide on graduate school vs. working for decision context.
Add practical skills regardless of major. A humanities major with data analytics skills has dramatically better career prospects than one without. Minor in something applied, take a coding course, get certified in a professional tool. These additions reduce regret by expanding your options.
Internship before you commit. An internship in the field your major leads to is the most effective regret-prevention tool. It either confirms your choice or reveals the mismatch before it's too late to change.
For a structured approach to the major decision, our how to choose a college major guide walks through the full framework.
What This Means for Students
If you haven't chosen a major yet: The regret data isn't a ranking of "bad" majors. It's a map of where expectations and outcomes are most likely to diverge. You can major in any field on the "high regret" list and have zero regret — if you go in with clear expectations and a plan for career translation.
If you're already in a "high regret" major: Don't panic. The regret statistics are averages that include people who did no career planning. If you're actively building skills, gaining experience through internships, and understanding your career options, you're already ahead of the curve.
If you're considering switching majors: The cost of switching is typically 1-2 extra semesters. The cost of spending a career in a field that doesn't fit is decades of dissatisfaction. If you're genuinely misaligned with your major, switching is almost always the right call.
FAQ
Which major has the highest regret rate?
Journalism and general liberal arts consistently appear near the top of regret surveys. However, the specific rankings vary by survey, and the differences between the top five or six most-regretted majors are often within the margin of error. The pattern — humanities and social sciences higher, STEM and professional programs lower — is more reliable than the specific ranking.
Does regretting your major mean it was the wrong choice?
Not necessarily. Regret surveys capture a moment in time. Some graduates regret their major at 25 (when salary comparisons sting the most) but feel differently at 35 (when career paths have diverged and the major matters less). Context and timing affect reported regret significantly.
Can I fix major regret after graduation?
Yes. Graduate school, professional certifications, career pivots, and on-the-job skill development all allow you to redirect after a bachelor's degree. Many successful professionals work in fields completely unrelated to their undergraduate major. The major shapes your starting point but doesn't determine your trajectory.
Should I choose a major based on salary data alone?
No. Salary data tells you what the average graduate earns, not what you'll earn. Your performance, engagement, and career initiative matter more than the major name on your diploma. But salary data should be a factor — ignoring it completely is how you end up regretting your choice.
What percentage of people work in a field related to their major?
About 55-60% of graduates report working in a field closely related to their undergraduate major, with higher rates for specialized professional programs (nursing, engineering, accounting) and lower rates for general liberal arts programs. The 40-45% who work outside their field aren't all unhappy — many found better opportunities in adjacent or unrelated fields.
Footnotes
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Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. (2024). Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). Federal Reserve. https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/shed.htm ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study. NCES, U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/b&b/ ↩
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Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Employment Projections: Education and Training by Occupation. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/emp/ ↩