20 Worst-Paying College Majors: 2024

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When it comes to choosing a career path, future compensation isn’t the only thing to consider. But it’s important for college students to choose their major with their eyes wide open.

Working in a high-paying field can significantly reduce the time it takes to repay student loans, as Amy Stewart, Payscale’s principal for research and insights, points out. It’s worth noting, though, that graduates working 10 years or more in public service while making timely repayments may be eligible to have the balance of their loans forgiven.

Payscale recently compiled alumni compensation data representing 763 majors at some 2,400 colleges and universities across the U.S. for its 2024 College Salary Report. The report is intended to help college-bound students make informed decisions about their education and future careers.

ThinkAdvisor has identified the 20 lowest-paying college majors, ranked by pay at mid-career — median salaries earned by holders of bachelor’s degrees with 10 or more years’ work experience — rather than starting salary, or zero to five years’ experience.

These fields of study would seem to attract students who feel that their work is about more than financial concerns. Indeed, while mid-career salaries for these majors are just half or less than those for the highest-paying majors, an average 70% of graduates in the lowest-paying fields say their work makes the world a better place, compared with 50% of those with the highest paying majors.

See the gallery for the 20 lowest-paying college majors, according to Payscale.

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