What are the most regretted and lowest paying college majors?

Asked by: Asa Herman III  |  Last update: January 17, 2026
Score: 4.5/5 (52 votes)

In one 2022 survey of 1,500 job candidates, the employment site ZipRecruiter enumerated the most-regretted majors:
  • Journalism, regretted by 87% of grads.
  • Sociology, 72%
  • Liberal arts and general studies, 72%
  • Communications, 64%
  • Education, 61%

What is the lowest paying college major?

Here are the 10 lowest-paying college majors in the U.S., ranked from lowest to highest average early-career salary.
  1. Theology and Religion. Early Career Earnings: $38,000. ...
  2. Performing Arts. ...
  3. Liberal Arts. ...
  4. Leisure and Hospitality. ...
  5. Early Childhood Education. ...
  6. Elementary Education. ...
  7. Family and Consumer Sciences. ...
  8. Anthropology.

What major has the highest dropout rate?

Computer science majors have the highest dropout rate at 10.7%. Nearly one-third of dropouts are due to personal or family issues. California has the highest dropout rate, with 6.61 million students in 2023.

What's the easiest major ever?

10 Easiest College Majors for 2025
  • Psychology. ...
  • Accounting. ...
  • Nursing. ...
  • Finance. ...
  • Economics. ...
  • Healthcare Administration. ...
  • Logistics. ...
  • Marketing. A marketing degree may come as an easy pursuit for individuals with creative and communication skills.

What majors don't pay well?

10 of the lowest-paying majors
  • Theology. Average salary: $40,000 per year A theology major studies various biblical and religious texts, religions and the relationship between humans and religion. ...
  • Fine and performing arts. ...
  • Public policy and social services. ...
  • Education. ...
  • Library science. ...
  • Liberal arts. ...
  • Psychology. ...
  • English.

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20 related questions found

What is the richest major?

Here's a look at several college majors that have frequently led to financial success.
  1. Engineering. Engineering has long been a top field for producing millionaires. ...
  2. Business Administration and Finance. ...
  3. Economics. ...
  4. Computer Science and Information Technology. ...
  5. Law. ...
  6. Medicine.

What are the least happy majors?

5 most regretted college majors
  • English and foreign language. About 42% of survey respondents who had this major regretted their choice, ZipRecruiter found. ...
  • Biological and physical sciences. ...
  • Education. ...
  • Social sciences and law. ...
  • Communications. ...
  • Computer science/mathematics. ...
  • Business. ...
  • Engineering.

What is the most underpaid major?

College majors that pay the least right after college
  • Theology + Religion $38,000.
  • Leisure + Hospitality $39,700.
  • General Social Sciences $40,000.
  • History $40,000.
  • Miscellaneous Biological Science $40,000.
  • Fine Arts $40,000.
  • Treatment Therapy $40,000.
  • Nutrition Sciences $40,000.

What is the happiest major in college?

Research has shown that students in humanities, sports and exercise science, engineering, natural sciences, psychology, arts and design, nursing, anesthesiology, and psychology majors are more likely to experience long-term happiness and fulfillment.

What 4 year degree pays the best?

What Are the Highest-Paying Bachelor's Degrees?
  1. Chemical Engineering. If you're interested in chemistry, chemical engineering could be the career for you. ...
  2. Computer Engineering. ...
  3. Aerospace Engineering. ...
  4. Electrical Engineering. ...
  5. Mechanical Engineering. ...
  6. Computer Science. ...
  7. Finance. ...
  8. Economics.

What majors are oversaturated?

While this will vary somewhat by geography and specific industry needs, some studies have found that the majors with excess graduates relative to job demand include Criminal Justice, Journalism, Anthropology, Photography, Art History, Music, and Psychology.

What career do people regret the most?

5 Most Regretted Jobs
  • By Taylor Dupuy. Monster Contributing Writer. ...
  • Cashier. First on the list and with an average yearly pay of $18,600, 46% of cashiers say they regret their job. ...
  • Mechanic. 43% of mechanics say they regret their job. ...
  • Secondary School Teacher. ...
  • Delivery Driver. ...
  • Bank Teller.

What are the most depressed college majors?

MEDICINE MOST STRESSFUL MAJOR

Right behind them were the law, social work, and engineering majors. While business students ranked fifth in terms of depression, with a 3.1% increase in depression over the past five years, medical students faced a staggering 35.3% rise in depression from 2019 to 2024.

What degree most billionaires have?

  • May 2, 2024. 10 Degree Subjects Most Likely to Make You a Billionaire. ...
  • Engineering. Many of the world's richest people, about 22% of the top 100 billionaires, studied engineering. ...
  • Economics. Learning about economics is important for making smart money choices. ...
  • Finance. ...
  • No Degree. ...
  • Business. ...
  • Computer Science. ...
  • Arts.

What is the rarest major?

10 Most Uncommon Majors
  • PRECISION PRODUCTION. ...
  • LIBRARY SCIENCE. ...
  • MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLIED SCIENCES. ...
  • COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES. ...
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES. ...
  • TRANSPORTATION AND MATERIALS MOVING. ...
  • THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS. ...
  • AREA, ETHNIC, AND GENDER STUDIES.

What is the number #1 highest paying major?

No surprise, majoring in engineering and finance yields the biggest paydays five years after graduating college, while majoring in liberal arts or performing arts pays the least.

What degree is worth getting in 2024?

1. Computer Science. First among the highest-paying majors in 2024 is Computer Science. Computer Science graduates can thank the tech sector's rapid growth that continues to create job opportunities for skilled professionals.

What are the least picked majors?

What are some of the Least Popular Majors Overall?
  1. Geoscience: This major, which includes studying Earth systems, is less popular but rich in job opportunities, given the urgency of environmental issues today.
  2. Astronomy and Astrophysics: These fields involve the study of celestial bodies and the physical universe.

What is the least regretted major?

You can see computer science up at the top, criminology, engineering, nursing, health, business administration, finance, psychology, construction trades, and human resource management even though by the time we get there, we're about the halfway mark but these are the people that when they were surveyed, they were the ...

What is the hardest major to pass?

10 Hardest Degrees in the World [2025]
  1. Medicine: According to studies, the medical field is considered one of the toughest degrees to pursue. ...
  2. Aerospace Engineering: ...
  3. Quantum Physics: ...
  4. Astrophysics: ...
  5. Electrical Engineering: ...
  6. Law: ...
  7. Architecture: ...
  8. Chemical Engineering:

What degree is easy and pays well?

In fields like Communications, Marketing, Management, Supply Chain Management, and Business Administration, you can find high-paying degrees. These paths offer diverse opportunities for lucrative careers. Skills in effective communication strategies and leadership are essential in these areas.