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What Might the Future Hold?

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) has been reporting a decline in the number of students pursuing bachelor’s degrees and the number of students pursuing a major in the humanities in recent years (Figure 7). The number of enrolled humanities majors fell 24% from fall 2015 to fall 2023, with most of the decline occurring after 2019. General liberal arts enrollments dropped by roughly the same amount (26%). The total number of students working toward bachelor’s degrees also fell over the 2015–2023 time period, but by a more modest 6%.

Figure 7: Students Enrolled in a Bachelor’s Degree Program, by Field of Declared Primary Major, Fall 2015–Fall 2023

(Interactive figure at )

This decline was far more dramatic than that seen in other fields. The field with the second-largest drop, education, experienced a decline of 14%. The field with the largest number of undergraduate students (business and management) fell a mere 3%, and engineering majors increased by 9%.

This study was not intended to predict trends in the reported numbers of students earning humanities degrees in the near future, but the trends reported by NSC offer a troubling indicator of continued waning support for the field among students currently enrolled toward the degree. How it will translate into degree completions over the next few years remains to be seen.

These studies on baccalaureate students are intended to enhance our understanding of how students move through their programs and how many complete their intended degree. While the studies were not designed to explain when or why students choose to end their studies or change the trajectory of their studies, the HI will continue to explore these issues in the coming months. We welcome questions about these findings and suggestions for further areas of research. Please direct any inquires to Robert Townsend, codirector of the HI, at rtownsend@amacad.org.