Thirty-five percent of college graduates regret their college major.

The Federal Reserve released the “Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2023” report. It shows more than 40% of those who majored in social and behavioral sciences, humanities and arts, life sciences and law regret their studies the most.

“The fields that seem to have the most dissatisfaction are ones that either don’t have clear career paths, can’t tie directly to what they would be doing after college, or are ones where the field is going to result in a low-paying job,” explained David Dillard, CEO of KD College Prep.

Grads who studied health, computer information sciences and engineering are least likely to regret their major.

“Any field where there are abundant job opportunities will become popular,” Dillard said. “There are a lot of people who are wired for STEM jobs and careers, but there are a lot of people chasing it because they’ve heard it’s a good thing to do, not because they are necessarily interested in it.”

Even so, education was largely seen as a path to higher income and greater financial well-being. Most adults who completed a bachelor’s degree or higher said it was worth the cost.

Only 27% of engineering graduates would now choose a different field of study. It is the least regretted field, and salary could be a reason. Government data shows the average salary is over $90,000, above the overall average salary of $48,060.

Another survey from ZipRecruiter shows journalism is the most regretted major, with 87% of grads wishing they had chosen something else. Dillard said if you regret your studies, you should take time to understand how you are wired.

“What do I hope to achieve? What do I want my life to look like? Where are my passions, interests, aspirations, and what could I do to pursue those?”