The 11 college majors graduates regret choosing the most

Picking a college major can feel like choosing your entire future before your laundry skills have even matured. That sounds dramatic, but recent grads have real reasons to feel nervous.

ZipRecruiter’s 2026 Graduate Report found that 20.5% of recent grads regret their major, and the New York Fed reported that recent college graduates faced about 5.7% unemployment and 41.5% underemployment in early 2026. Translation? A degree still helps, but some majors make the first few years after graduation feel like a very expensive obstacle course.

I don’t think any major on this list makes someone foolish. Passion matters, and nobody should build a life around spreadsheets alone, unless spreadsheets actually spark joy.

Still, money, job openings, graduate school requirements, and pay expectations can turn a beloved major into a source of regret. So, which college majors leave graduates asking, “Why did nobody warn me before I signed those loan papers?”

Political science and public policy

Political science sounds powerful on day one. You picture campaigns, policy work, international meetings, and maybe one day casually fixing democracy before lunch. Then graduation arrives, and the job market says, “Cute dream, but do you have a master’s degree, three internships, five connections, and the ability to survive on entry-level pay?”

Recent ZipRecruiter data placed political science, international relations, and public policy at the top of the regret list among recent grads, with 46.3% expressing dissatisfaction with their choice. That number stings because many students enter these majors with a huge sense of purpose, not because they expect easy money. 

Regret often stems from the gap between the classroom and the career ladder. BLS data show that political scientists can earn strong salaries, but the occupation usually requires a master’s degree, and BLS projects employment to decline 3% from 2024 to 2034.

That means a bachelor’s degree alone may open doors, but not the exact ones students imagined. Ever tried turning “I wrote a brilliant paper on constitutional theory” into rent money? Exactly. 

Communications, media studies, and public relations

Communications feels practical because every company needs people who can write, speak, persuade, present, manage social media, and prevent executives from posting career-ending nonsense online. The problem comes when thousands of graduates chase the same “creative but stable” jobs.

ZipRecruiter’s recent graduate survey found that 39.2% of communications, media studies, or public relations majors regretted their choice, making this one of the loudest warning bells in the early career market. The field still has good paths, especially in PR, content strategy, brand work, and corporate communications. Still, students who expect a clean runway often meet a crowded airport. 

Pay trends add more salt to the wound. Bankrate’s analysis of NACE data reported projected 2025 starting salaries of $60,353 for communications majors, with a 3% drop from the previous year.

BLS projects that public relations specialists will grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, so the major is not a sign of doom. The catch? Graduates need strong portfolios, internships, writing samples, analytical skills, and, preferably, proof that they understand more than “I’m good with people.” 

Journalism and English

Journalism and English attract people who love language, stories, truth, and the strange thrill of rearranging one sentence for twenty minutes. I respect that deeply. Still, many grads later discover that loving words and earning enough from words can feel like two different majors wearing the same hoodie.

ZipRecruiter’s older regret survey named journalism as the most regretted major among job seekers with degrees, and recent reporting also showed that graduates in English, literature, or journalism earned about 30% less than expected after landing jobs. That is the kind of plot twist nobody wants in chapter one of adulthood.

The labor market explains part of the frustration. BLS reports that news analysts, reporters, and journalists earned a median annual wage of $60,280 in May 2024, but it also projects employment in that occupation to decline 4% from 2024 to 2034.

Writers can still build strong careers through content marketing, technical writing, grant writing, copywriting, editing, and niche digital publishing. But the old dream of simply graduating, joining a newsroom, and climbing steadily now feels shakier than a folding chair at a family cookout. 

Liberal arts and general studies

Liberal arts get mocked unfairly, usually by people who cannot explain what “critical thinking” means without sounding like a LinkedIn post. The major can teach writing, analysis, history, ethics, culture, and problem-solving, which employers value.

The issue comes when graduates leave school with broad knowledge but no clear job target, no technical skill stack, and no obvious first role. ZipRecruiter’s 2026 report found that regret remains highest among liberal arts graduates, many of whom wished they had chosen more scientific or quantitative fields.

That regret does not mean the liberal arts lack value. Georgetown CEW notes that bachelor’s degree holders still earn more at the median than workers with only a high school diploma, but it also shows wide differences by major, with education and public service fields at around $58,000 for prime-age workers and STEM fields at around $98,000.

Liberal arts students can reduce regret by adding internships, data skills, business writing, research methods, coding basics, or a focused minor. Passion becomes more powerful when it arrives with a job search strategy, because vibes alone rarely pass an applicant tracking system.

Sociology

Sociology pulls students in because it helps explain people, inequality, institutions, crime, family life, culture, and why group projects sometimes destroy friendships. It gives graduates a sharp lens for reading society. The trouble starts when employers ask, “Great, but what job title do you want?”

ZipRecruiter’s earlier regret report listed sociology right after journalism among the most regretted majors, and that tracks with a common problem: the degree can feel meaningful but professionally blurry unless students pair it with research, policy, HR, data, counseling, nonprofit, or public sector experience.

The career path can improve with graduate school, but that adds time and money. BLS reports that sociologists earn a strong median wage, but it projects only about 300 openings per year from 2024 to 2034, and many sociology-focused roles require advanced training.

That small opening counts because plenty of bachelor’s grads do not actually become sociologists. They move into adjacent roles, and some later regret that their major did not point more directly toward a defined career.

Fine arts

Fine arts majors usually know the world will not hand them a corner office on graduation day. They often choose the major because they feel pulled toward painting, sculpture, illustration, design, performance, or creative production.

That courage deserves respect. Still, regret creeps in when passion meets rent, health insurance, software subscriptions, and clients who say they can pay in “exposure,” which remains the most useless currency ever invented. BLS reports that craft and fine artists earned a median annual wage of $56,260 in May 2024, and it projects little or no employment change from 2024 to 2034.

The problem does not come from art itself. Creative skills can lead to design, branding, animation, UX, marketing, education, galleries, museums, and entrepreneurship. Regret grows when students graduate with a portfolio, but without a pricing strategy, business training, a client pipeline, or the digital tools employers demand.

A fine arts degree can still work, but graduates often need to treat creativity like both a craft and a business. Annoying? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.

Physical sciences

Physical sciences can sound like a safe bet because science feels serious, respected, and wonderfully free from the chaos of influencer culture. Physics, chemistry, earth science, and related fields teach rigorous thinking, problem-solving, lab skills, and patience.

Yet CBS reported that one-third of physical sciences majors in ZipRecruiter’s recent analysis expressed doubts about their choice. That surprises people because they assume every science major walks straight into a stable, high-paying job. Sadly, the labor market does not hand out bonus checks just because a transcript contains scary-looking equations.

The regret often comes from specialization. Many strong physical science careers require graduate school, lab experience, industry connections, or a pivot into engineering, data science, software, energy, environmental consulting, or education.

Bankrate’s NACE-based salary roundup projected a 2025 starting salary of $69,709 for math and science, which looks decent, but it also showed a 1.9% decline from the prior year. Students who love science can absolutely win here, but they need to plan the bridge from “I understand thermodynamics” to “someone wants to hire me next month.”

Public health and health administration

Public health sounds like the sensible cousin of medicine. It promises meaningful work, community impact, health systems knowledge, and a chance to improve lives without spending a decade becoming a surgeon.

Then some graduates hit the job market and discover that many attractive roles want experience, certifications, a master’s degree, or comfort with data systems. CBS reported that public health or health administration grads earned 43.8% less than they expected after landing jobs, based on ZipRecruiter’s survey. That kind of expectation gap can turn idealism into a very quiet panic.

The field still matters, especially after Americans watched public health become a dinner table conversation during the pandemic years. The problem lies in the first job, not the mission.

Students often picture program leadership, policy influence, hospital administration, or global health work, but many entry-level roles involve coordination, outreach, paperwork, and pay that feels underwhelming next to tuition bills. Public health majors can reduce regret by learning statistics, GIS, grant writing, health informatics, Excel, SQL, and project management. Yes, the nerdy tools matter. They usually pay better than good intentions alone.

Agriculture, environmental science, and natural resources

Agriculture, environmental science, and natural resources majors often choose the field because they care about climate, food systems, conservation, land use, and sustainability. Honestly, that sounds more useful than half the apps people keep funding.

Still, recent grads can feel frustrated when jobs cluster in specific regions, require field experience, pay less than expected, or ask for technical credentials that a general bachelor’s program barely touched. CBS reported that agriculture, environmental science, or natural resources graduates earned about 30% less than they expected after finding work.

This major group does not belong in the “bad idea” pile. Bankrate’s NACE data showed agriculture and natural resources had projected 2025 starting salaries of $63,122, up 2.8% from 2024. BLS also reports solid wages for environmental scientists and specialists, with a median pay of $80,060 in May 2024 and projected employment growth of 4% from 2024 to 2034.

The catch comes from job matching. Students who combine environmental passion with GIS, policy analysis, chemistry, compliance, consulting, or engineering adjacent skills usually give themselves a much better shot. 

Psychology

Psychology may be one of the most relatable majors in America because everyone wants to understand people, trauma, motivation, relationships, behavior, and that one roommate who treated dirty dishes like a science experiment. The major teaches useful human insight, but many graduates regret it when they realize the best-known psychology jobs often require graduate school.

Want to become a licensed psychologist? You need far more than a bachelor’s degree. Want a strong counseling career? Many paths demand a master’s degree, supervised hours, and licensing. Suddenly, the four-year plan turns into a longer subscription than anyone ordered.

BLS projects psychologist employment to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034 and lists a median annual wage of $94,310 in May 2024, so the field clearly offers opportunity. But those numbers usually reflect advanced roles, not every psychology bachelor’s graduate.

A student who stops at the bachelor’s level may move into HR, sales, case management, behavioral support, marketing research, or nonprofit work. Those can become good careers, but graduates may regret the major when they expected “therapist” and got “please upload your resume again, even though you already did.” 

Education

Education majors rarely choose the field because they expect Wall Street money. They choose it because they care about students, classrooms, learning, and the brave daily act of explaining fractions without losing hope. Still, regret can grow when the workload, emotional pressure, certification rules, classroom management demands, and pay collide.

Georgetown CEW reports that education and public service fields rank at the lower end of median earnings for prime-age bachelor’s degree holders, at around $58,000, far below STEM’s roughly $98,000 median. That gap can hurt when teachers carry debt and buy classroom supplies with their own money.

BLS reports that educational instruction and library occupations earned a median annual wage of $59,220 in May 2024. That beats the median for all occupations, but it does not erase burnout or the reality that many teachers work beyond the school day.

The funny part, in the least funny way, is that education majors often do some of society’s most important work and still hear people debate whether they deserve better pay. If regret shows up here, it usually comes from the system around the major, not from the value of teaching itself.

Key takeaway

College major regret usually stems from a messy mix: unclear career paths, lower-than-expected pay, weak entry-level hiring, extra credential requirements, and too little real-world experience before graduation. ZipRecruiter’s 2026 report puts it plainly with the idea that grads keep recalibrating and building their own paths, and Bankrate senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick gives the most useful reminder: a degree can help, but it offers “not a guarantee.”

So, should students avoid every major on this list? Not necessarily. They should choose with eyes open, add practical skills early, complete internships, build a portfolio, talk to working professionals, and check real salary data before falling in love with a brochure.

Passion still matters, but passion with a plan wins more often. After all, nobody wants to graduate with big dreams, big loans, and a career plan held together with vibes and instant noodles.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.

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