Should You Change Your Major?

Thinking of changing your major? You’re not alone. About 30% of bachelor's degree students change their major once and 9% of students change majors two or more times. STEM majors switch their major at even higher rates, with Math majors switching to presumably less-challinging majors at a rate of more than 50%.

Changing your degree can be one of the biggest decisions you make. It can help you find a more fulfilling career and enter an industry that you’re truly passionate about. But switching your major - if you don’t have to - can also cost you thousands of dollars and delay your graduation.

When to switch majors

If you feel like you should change your major, it might be the best decision for you and your future career. Here are some times when you should switch your degree:

When you’re failing

If you’re failing classes related to your major, that’s likely a sign that you need to pick a new degree. Not only do failing classes look bad on your transcript, but they can also have a huge impact on your financial aid. For example, many scholarships require that you maintain a 3.0 GPA. If your GPA falls below that figure, then you may lose your scholarship.

The consequences are worse if your GPA gets even lower. To qualify for federal financial aid, like student loans or Pell Grants, you need to be making satisfactory academic progress. This usually means having a GPA of 2.0 or higher. If your GPA drops below that figure, then you may lose access to that financial aid. This means you’ll have to pay for your tuition without having access to federal financial aid. And the only way to get it back is to improve your GPA.

When you have just begun

Switching your major when you're a couple of semesters in usually isn't a big deal. At this point, most students probably haven’t taken enough classes to affect their graduation date.

Also, if you’ve only taken a couple of classes related to your major, then switching to a new degree should still be OK. General classes can often count toward several degrees, so you should still be in a good spot.

When to keep your major

While switching your major is often a good idea, sometimes it's better not to. Here are some times when you should stay with the same major:

When you’re almost done

If you're only a couple of semesters away from graduating, it's probably best to keep your major. If you still want to switch careers, then you have other options. For example, you can get a certificate, go to graduate school or get another bachelor's degree.

In some cases, you don't even need to go back to school if you want to switch careers. You can just try to get an internship in your new field, which will provide the experience you need to get a full-time job.

When you don’t need a new degree

For many industries, what you major in doesn’t really matter all that much. What does matter is your experience. For example, if you want to be a journalist, being a communication major isn’t that much different from being a journalism major. If you’re serious about your new potential career, join the student newspaper.

In this case, switching your degree wouldn’t necessarily make sense - especially if you’re close to graduating.

What to do before switching

Before making the choice to change your major, take some time to think about your decision. Here are some action items to do beforehand:

Talk to your professors

If you're on the fence about switching, you should talk to your professors in your field. They can share if they think you’re capable of completing your degree or if you should switch.

If you have multiple professors in the same field, it can be useful to talk to all of them to get different opinions.

Meet with your advisor

You should schedule a meeting with your academic advisor. They can help you figure out what you’ll need to do to switch your major. They can provide suggestions on the best way to change majors without having to extend your college career.

Sometimes changing your major frequently means that you’re not sure what you want to do. Talking to an expert in the career center can also help you decide what you’re really interested in.

Talk to a therapist

Sometimes you think you want to change majors, but you’re actually just feeling burnt out and tired. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you should pick a new career path; it might just mean that you need to take fewer classes next semester or get a tutor to help you.

Talking to a mental health expert can help you figure out what you actually want to do, so you’re not reacting emotionally. Your campus should have a few therapists that you can speak to, but there may be a waitlist.

Understand the financial implications

Switching your major can result in changes to your financial aid, depending on what you change your major to.

Some scholarships are only given if you’re majoring in a particular field. If you're considering changing your major, go over your current scholarships and figure out if you'll lose any by switching. For example, if you’re majoring in finance and switch your major to art history, then you may lose any finance-related scholarships.

Changing your major may result in you taking longer to graduate, which can affect your student loans, grants and other types of financial aid. There is a limited amount of money that you can receive for federal student loans. If you max out that amount, you will not be eligible for further funds.

The good news is that if you're switching to an entirely new major, you can start looking for scholarships for that particular degree. This opens up a whole new amount of scholarships that you probably haven't considered.

The Bottom Line

Even though changing your major might feel like a huge decision, it probably doesn't matter in the long run.

When you get a degree, it doesn't show how often you change your majors. Some of the most successful people switch their major several times before graduating. Just make sure that you're doing it for the right reasons and you'll be fine.