Contrary to popular belief, switching college majors can actually increase a student’s likelihood of graduating, according to a new study from the EAB.
Conventional wisdom has suggested that students who switch majors are less likely to graduate or graduate on time. The EAB set out to test this wisdom by analyzing data from its Student Success Collaborative platform. After examining data from 78,000 students at 10 public and private institutions, it found that students who finalize their major between their second and eighth semester have an 83 percent graduation rate, whereas students who finalize their major in their first semester have a 79 percent graduation rate.
“The data show that students have far more flexibility to change their majors than many students, parents and administrators assumed,” said Ed Venit, senior director at EAB, in a news release. “Exploration can be a positive growth experience that supports student success.”
