Decoding College Admissions: Does Your Intended Major Affect Your Acceptance?

Navigating the landscape of college admissions can feel like deciphering a complex code. One question that frequently surfaces among prospective students is: "Does my intended major affect my acceptance chances?" The answer, while not always straightforward, can significantly influence your application strategy. There are a lot of misconceptions about the role your intended major plays in college admissions and which majors are "best" for people hoping for a higher admission chance.

The General Rule: Major Usually Doesn't Matter

In the vast majority of cases, your intended major does not directly affect your chances of being accepted to a certain school. Colleges understand that many students change their major during their academic journey. Colleges are well aware of this. In fact, many colleges don't even require students to officially declare a major until the end of their sophomore year because they expect students to change their minds as they take different classes. This means that, in most cases, colleges don't consider the major you put on your application to be binding or even an accurate predictor of what degree you actually end up graduating with.

Exceptions to the Rule: When Major Matters

There are some instances when your major does impact your admission chances. This typically occurs with large public universities with multiple departments and limited slots for each major. The most well-known is the University of California system, nine schools that together enroll more than 290,000 students. The UC schools hire faculty and staff based on predetermined enrollment numbers of different majors, and they wouldn't be able to accommodate it if, say, if 10,000 students suddenly switched from engineering to political science. To make sure they have enough resources for each student, schools like the UC schools will consider intended majors when making admissions decisions. So, if you're applying as a communications major, and they've already filled all their communications major slots, it's possible you could be denied admission while you would have been accepted if you'd applied with a different major. However, even in these scenarios, your intended major will only be a factor if you're on the cusp of being admitted.

Some schools also cap certain majors at a specific number and/or have more competitive requirements for certain majors, even if they don't consider intended majors for the majority of their applicants. This is often the case for nursing programs (which often have lower admission rates than the rest of a school), or a program the school is particularly well-known for. For example, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign has a renowned engineering program. It factors intended majors into admissions decisions, and its engineering programs typically have lower acceptance rates than those of other departments. The same is true for the University of Pennsylvania.

Large Public Universities

At public universities, students often apply directly to a college or division within the larger institution. For example, at Purdue University or the California system, the acceptance rate for engineering or computer science majors might be dramatically lower than for history or English.

Read also: UCF Application Strategies

Private Universities with Standout Programs

Private universities with standout programs, such as a conservatory, school of architecture, or selective engineering division, often give considerable weight to your declared major.

Debunking the "Less Common Major" Myth

Some students think that choosing a less common major will give them a leg up in admissions. However, there are several problems with this.

First, as we mentioned above, most colleges don't admit a set number of certain majors.

Second, majors with low enrollment numbers are at risk of being downsized or even eliminated. For example, Illinois Wesleyan University, a small private university, recently eliminated its French, Italian, religion, anthropology, and American cultural studies programs because enrollment had been steadily declining. The reduction of humanities programs is happening at many universities across the country, so applying to a less popular major can actually hurt you if the school is planning to eliminate that major soon.

Third, and most important, one of the best ways to impress a college is showing your commitment to your future area of study. For example, if you want to major in engineering, we'd recommend a lot of math classes, high scores on the Math section of the SAT or ACT, participation in math competitions, and a strong letter of recommendation from one of your math teachers. We call this a spike, and it's an extremely effective way to stand out from the thousands of other applications colleges review. If you’re applying to a very competitive major, your application will be stronger if it includes specific activities and achievements that connect to that major. On the other hand, putting an obscure major that doesn’t tie in with your high school classes or extracurriculars won’t be as compelling. So choosing an obscure major isn't a guarantee of an increased chance of getting into college.

Competitive vs. Less Competitive Majors

Below, we go over some of the more competitive majors and some of the least competitive majors. It's important to remember that this will vary by school, but we've included examples of particular schools to show how the data actually looks.

Highly Competitive Majors

Certain fields consistently rank among the most competitive majors across universities.

Nursing: Nursing programs are often very rigorous, so schools only want to accept students they're confident have the motivation and work ethic to complete the program. This means that nursing programs are often highly competitive. At UCLA, the acceptance rate for the entire school is 9%, but, in 2022, the acceptance rate for the nursing program was just 1%!
Business-related Majors: Business-related majors, such as business administration, accounting, and finance, are some of the most popular majors for undergraduates, so spots for them are often in demand.
Computer Science: Computer Science is exploding in demand, and students have been enrolling in rapidly rising numbers. In 2021, for the University of Washington, the admission rate for Computer Science majors was only 9%, well below the school’s overall acceptance rate of 56% for that year. At UC Berkeley, for instance, the overall acceptance rate hovers in the mid-teens, but the rate for computer science programs has dipped to just a fraction of that number.
Engineering: Specialized branches such as biomedical engineering and aerospace engineering are among the most competitive college majors because they often lead directly to lucrative, in-demand careers.
Fine Arts: Fine Arts programs (such as Studio Art, Drama, Dance, Theater, etc. majors) often have a lot of competition for limited slots. Especially for highly-ranked programs, competition can be stiff. Carnegie Mellon University released acceptance rates for different departments. In 2020, the university as a whole had an acceptance rate of about 15%, but its School of Drama had by far the lowest acceptance rate, at only 4%. However, these statistics can vary widely by school and program, depending on how highly it is ranked.

Less Competitive Majors

Agricultural or Environmental Engineering: These two are often the least popular engineering specialties to major in, which can make them easier to get into, especially compared to more competitive engineering degrees like computer science.
Social Sciences: As many recent college graduates have struggled to find jobs, there's been a general shift away from social science majors, such as history and political science. This decline is fairly recent, so many schools still have a high number of professors and staff to support more new students than they're getting. As a result, some of these majors can be easier to get into. At UCLA (overall acceptance rate of 14%), history majors have a whopping 52% acceptance rate, art history has a 40% acceptance rate, political science is 40%, sociology is 40%, and anthropology is 44%. Fields like classics, philosophy, or certain foreign languages may represent a less competitive major pathway. For instance, history majors or art history applicants at some universities may find themselves with higher admissions chances than peers in engineering or computer science.
Mathematics and Statistics: Mathematics, Statistics, and other pure math concentrations have never been as popular as related majors like engineering. However, because lots of students need to take math classes, universities often have lots of math professors and therefore lots of spots for math majors. This can make these majors less competitive but, make no mistake, you'll need to show exceptional math skills to be considered a strong applicant for a math major. At UC Berkeley, the acceptance rate for Statistics majors is 32%, and it's 26% for Mathematics majors. At UCLA, Statistics majors have an acceptance rate of 39%, and Mathematics majors have an acceptance rate of 37%.

Strategic Application: Playing the Field Wisely

We don't recommend choosing a major you're not interested in to increase your college admission chances. Colleges want your classes and extracurriculars to relate to your chosen major. So, for most people, we don't recommend trying to game the system by choosing a certain major. However, there are a few instances where choosing a different major may give a small boost to your admission chances. This only works for colleges that factor intended majors into their admissions decisions (these are often large public schools). If you find that certain majors have a much higher admission rate, you may want to list one as your intended major.

Finding Parallel Majors

Instead, you should find parallel majors; ones that are less popular but are similar enough that interests in one area can transfer over. For example, students interested in business or engineering are often well-positioned for statistics or math.

Highlighting Secondary Interests

You should also look for secondary interests that can be pushed to the forefront. Begin your major selection process with the list of activities and honors. What story does it tell? What major is a logical continuation of this story? If more than one major fits, pick the one that better positions you for success. For example, pre-med students who lack extensive medical involvement but spent a lot of time painting and touring art museums can be reframed as Art History majors. Art History majors are still able to complete all their pre-med requirements and are accepted to medical schools at a higher rate than biology majors.

Key Questions to Consider

Do you actually know that this major will make it easier to get into that school?
As you've seen in this article, choosing an "unpopular" major doesn't necessarily mean you'll have an easier time getting accepted.
Does your application show your interest in your stated major?
How easy is it to change majors? Colleges that consider intended major often have a certain number of slots for each major, and the major you actually want may be full by the time you switch.

The "Pointy" Student: Demonstrating Deep Interest

One of the biggest shifts in the college admissions process over the last decade has been the move toward “pointy” students, those who demonstrate deep interest and preparation in a particular major, rather than simply well-rounded applicants. This shift makes your declared major more than just a box to check.

Building a Strong Application for Competitive Majors

If you’re committed to a competitive major, don’t panic. Don’t just say you love biology; connect it to a specific topic or real-world problem. Take the most rigorous courses available, such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes. Strong performance on AP or IB exams demonstrates readiness for college-level work. Colleges want to know you’re not just applying blindly. Even in competitive college majors, qualities like resilience, creativity, and problem-solving shine through.

Changing Majors: School Policies and Procedures

Students often wonder whether or not the major they choose when applying to colleges will impact their chances of admission. While it will, this isn’t as straightforward as many students believe, and many schools have their own idiosyncrasies in the admissions process. Generally, students interested in highly selective majors, such as business or computer science, will have a harder time gaining admission than students applying for less selective majors like anthropology, women’s studies, or art history.

The ease of switching majors varies significantly between institutions. Here's a glimpse into the policies of various universities:

Easy: Brown, Caltech, Cornell, Dartmouth, Emory University, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern University, Stanford, Tufts University, Tulane University, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University.
Medium: Boston College, Boston University, Case Western Reserve University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Northeastern University, Notre Dame, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, University of Florida, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester, University of Virginia, UT Austin, Washington University in St. Louis, William & Mary.
Hard/Very Hard: Carnegie Mellon University, Duke, Georgia Tech, Princeton, Rice University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Southern California, Wake Forest University.

Case Studies: Real-World Examples

Ethan: An extremely well-credentialed CS applicant from New York (1500 SAT, 3.8 unweighted GPA) with his heart set on a school like Stanford, MIT, or Carnegie Mellon, failed to gain admission to those institutions, which all possess hypercompetitive CS programs.
Abigail: Applied to similar schools as bio majors with very poor results. Months later, when admissions decisions are announced, the strategy proved to be a success. Many of Abigail’s peers in AP Bio and AP Physics applied to similar schools as bio majors, with very poor results.
Ravi: When he feels he has a solid chance at getting into a business program, he applies directly to the College of Business.

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