Beginning College Students Who Change Their Majors Within 3 Years of Enrollment
Data on college students changing majors
Overview
Added
March 5, 2026
Related situation
Audience
learner
Grade range
Grade 9 (Freshman)–Grade 12 (Senior)
Page kind
Article
Introduction
Rates of Major Changes Among Beginning College Students
- Study Scope: Based on the 2012/14 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/14), tracking approximately 25,000 students who first enrolled in 2011–12.
- Overall Findings: Within 3 years of initial enrollment, approximately 30% of undergraduates who declared a major changed it at least once.
- Degree Program Differences:
- Bachelor’s degree students: ~33% changed majors.
- Associate’s degree students: 28% changed majors.
- Multiple changes: Roughly 1 in 10 students (10% of associate's and 9% of bachelor's students) changed their major more than once.
- STEM vs. Non-STEM:
- STEM majors: 35% changed their field of study.
- Non-STEM majors: 29% changed their field of study.
- Field-Specific Trends:
- Highest change rate: Mathematics majors (52%) and natural sciences majors (40%).
- Lowest change rate (Non-STEM): "Other applied" fields (22%) and health care fields (26%).
- Computer/Engineering: Students in computer/information sciences (28%) and engineering (32%) changed majors at lower rates than those in math or natural sciences.
- Data Context: Analyses were restricted to students who declared a major within 3 years of enrollment (representing 94% of associate's and 97% of bachelor's degree students).
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