Students are moving away from the most common degree now - Stag Rezscore Insight

More than 75% of high schoolersnowsay that a two-year or technical certification is enough, and only 41% believe they must have a four-yeardegreeto get a good job.

Within technical fields,studentsaremovingawayfrommajors more easily automated by AI, a Niche report found, based on high school seniors' interest.

Young people are turningawayfromteaching as a job, citing the low pay and uncertainty over education. "People feel demotivated," onestudentsaid.

TheNationalStudentClearinghouse (NSC) has been reporting a decline in the number ofstudentspursuing bachelor'sdegreesand the number ofstudentspursuing a major in the humanities in recent years (Figure 7). The number of enrolled humanities majors fell 24% from fall 2015 to fall 2023, withmostof the decline occurring after 2019.

Today'sstudentsaremaking strategic choices that align with a fast-changing labor market — but sharp declines in fields like education, social work, and the humanities raise red flags for our society's future. This deep dive explores what shifting college major trends reveal about economic opportunity, societal priorities, and the risks ahead.

Theshiftawayfromtraditionaldegreesis already evident. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, 51% of adults aged 18 to 29 believe that colleges and universities have a negative ...

A scholar and former college dean explains why higher education's reliance on majors to measure academic quality may be an outdated approach.

At the same time, college-going rates are declining, as rising tuition costs, skepticism aboutstudentdebt and alternative career pathways (such as trade schools or direct workforce entry) pushstudentsawayfromtraditional four-yeardegrees.

Thehigher education landscape in the United States is evolving rapidly. As the 2025-2026 academic year begins, universities face new challenges and opportunities shaped by shiftingstudentdemographics, emerging technology, and changing career priorities. Roughly 18 millionstudentsarenowenrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, but enrollment patterns are no longer predictable ...