These are the degree subjects which have the highest drop-out rates (2024)

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These are the degree subjects which have the highest drop-out rates? ›

These are the degree subjects which have the highest drop-out rates. Computer sciences and business and administrative studies are among the degree subjects with the highest drop-out rates; with around nine per cent of students dropping out by their second year.

Students who major in computer science tend to have the highest dropout rate, followed by advertising and agriculture majors. College is a significant investment, and selecting the right major can aid in your success.

Based on six years of data, men have an average dropout rate four percentage points higher than women. American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Pacific Islander first-year students have higher dropout rates than their Hispanic, white, and Asian peers.

These preliminary results show that attrition from STEM majors is common: among all students who start college as STEM majors, after 4 years of college, 45 percent of women and 43 percent of the men have left the STEM majors.

Retention rates among students studying engineering are among the lowest of all majors. Around 60% of students that study engineering will either drop-out or change majors and 40% of those students will do so in their first year.

Lack of required skills, such as quantitative skills and mathematics. Students who sign up for Computer Science build on their excitement from computers and technology. They don't necessarily realize that computer science studies include a major mathematics part, for which they lack the proper skills.

Students aged between 24-29 are most likely to drop out of four-year colleges, as 52.5% of them have already left without a degree (What to Become, 2021). Only 30% of these dropouts re-enroll in college to finish their degree (EDI, 2021).

Students with disabilities (especially those with emotional/behavioral disabilities) are at greater risk of dropout. Parental employment. Dropouts are more likely to come from families in which the parents are unemployed.

Struggling in school on a daily basis is the biggest reason most students choose to drop out of high school. For example, according to the Anne E. Casey Foundation by America's Promise, children who are not reading proficiently by fourth grade are four times more likely to quit high school than their peers.

Why do students leave STEM majors? ›

The study found that poor teaching was the most significant factor in explaining why 40 to 60 percent of students nationwide switched from STEM majors.

STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, are among the toughest majors offered in universities.

—Recent data is showing a decline in the science, technology, engineering and math fields (STEM) that could create long-term economic problems for the U.S. and compound long-standing problems of getting girls and students from Black and Hispanic backgrounds involved in technology and STEM-related careers.

Some studies have found that 50 percent of engineering majors drop out or change majors before graduating, the biggest reason being ill-preparedness for higher level college courses.

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) found that between 40% to 50% of engineering students drop out or change their majors. Engineering students who do survive the academic gauntlet may then face difficulties in the job market.

Engineering consistently ranks among the top 10 most popular majors, with its appeal growing even as other fields, like social sciences and humanities, experience rapidly decreasing enrollments. Five of the top ten best-paid majors in our database are engineering fields.

The least regretted college majors, which graduates would choose all over again, are reportedly Computer and Information Sciences, Criminology, Engineering, Nursing, Health, Business Administration and Management, Finance, Psychology, Construction Trades, and Human Resources Management.