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10 Great Colleges for Undecided Majors
What’s Covered:
- Undecided Majors: What to Look for in a College
- Should You Pick a Research University or a Liberal Arts College?
- Best Research Universities for Undecided Majors
- Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Undecided Majors
Some students know what they want to do with the rest of their lives early in high school. Others are still exploring their passions by the time senior year rolls around, and the idea of having to choose a major before they even set foot on campus is intimidating.
If you fall into the latter category, don’t worry. There are many schools perfect for undecided majors that allow you to hone your interests and identify the strengths that set you up for success in the career world.
Undecided Majors: What to Look for in a College
1. Later major declaration requirements
While many colleges require you to declare your major at the end of freshman year, others give you the flexibility to wait until the end of sophomore year. This is beneficial to students who need a little more time to explore their interests.
2. A more flexible curriculum
Some colleges have rigid core curricula with numerous requirements in different areas. However, many schools have few requirements or none at all—in other words, an open curriculum—which enables students to spend more time dabbling in a diverse array of disciplines, rather than having to focus on meeting strict requirements.
3. Opportunities to create your own major
Many colleges give you the opportunity to create your own major, usually with guidance and approval from faculty. There are different variations of this, such as combining multiple concentrations or focusing on a particular niche.
4. Mentorship programs for undecided majors
You have many peers who are also unsure of what they want to study when they matriculate. To help students navigate this decision, some schools offer mentorship programs that focus on determining interests and strengths—and how they align with courses of study.
Should You Pick a Research University or a Liberal Arts College?
Research universities and liberal arts colleges both offer opportunities for students who are undecided about their major.
Research Universities
Research universities often have pre-professional programs and courses, such as physical therapy and nursing. If you’re even remotely considering a path like this, a university is probably the better choice. They also tend to offer more majors, which makes it more likely that you’ll find something right for you.
Liberal Arts Colleges
Liberal arts colleges typically have more flexible curricula that focus on helping students develop general skills they can apply to a number of careers, such as critical thinking. Often, they also allow you to declare your major later on, or even create your own (although some universities have this option, too). Because they’re generally less career-focused than universities, they tend to be a good choice for undecided majors.
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Best Research Universities for Undecided Majors
1. Brown University
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Acceptance Rate: 5.4%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1510-1560/34-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,910
Brown’s open curriculum is ideal for undecided students. As the “architect of your own education,” you’re able to direct your own course of study by exploring a wide range of disciplines and courses, without being bogged down with demanding requirements. Once students have sampled different disciplines, they can focus on one of the more than 80 concentrations—what most colleges call majors—available or create their own independent concentration.
2. University of Rochester
Location: Rochester, New York
Acceptance Rate: 40%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1420-1500/32-34
Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,580
The flexible Rochester Curriculum is the cornerstone of the university experience. Students have no general education or core requirements other than a single writing requirement. Students determine where they want to focus their studies (their major) and then select clusters in two areas, each containing three thematically related courses.
This is ideal for students who don’t want to be tied down to a prescribed curriculum. For those whose interests don’t fall within a specific department, there’s also the option to create an interdepartmental major.
3. Northeastern University
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Acceptance Rate: 5.2%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1450-1520/33-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 22,695
Northeastern’s Explore Program equips undeclared students with the resources they need to make an informed decision about their major and career path. Participants can meet with academic advisors and student leaders, as well as attend events that connect them with faculty, students, advisors, and alumni in areas that interest them. They also attend a first-year seminar course where they’ll meet other students in the program.
Students may also create an independent major if their interests don’t fall under one of the 300 majors and combined major programs.
4. University of Toledo
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Acceptance Rate: 92%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1040-1260/20-27
Undergraduate Enrollment: 11,013
The University of Toledo offers several resources to help students choose a major. Through the Undecided Program, students can explore a variety of courses with a personalized plan developed with an academic advisor, receive guidance on achieving their goals, and discover potential career paths.
Through the Exploratory Scholars learning community, students can live among undecided peers and share the experience of navigating majors and working with faculty and peer mentors.
5. New York University (NYU) Gallatin School of Individualized Study
Location: New York, New York
Acceptance Rate: 9% (NYU)
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1480-1550/34-35 (NYU)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,600
NYU’s Gallatin is all about thinking outside the box. Students design their own nontraditional courses of study under the guidance of faculty. Geared toward students who are “focused, intelligent, disciplined, and creative,” the school provides the opportunity to create individualized education.
Along with taking courses at Gallatin and other schools within NYU, students participate in experiential learning, such as internships and study abroad, broadening their thinking and connecting what they learn in the classroom to the real world.
Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Undecided Majors
1. Amherst College
Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
Acceptance Rate: 9%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1500-1560/33-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,914
There are no distribution requirements and no core curriculum at Amherst. The open curriculum allows students to choose from more than 400 courses each term while receiving advising from faculty.
If that weren’t enough, Amherst students also benefit from the Five College Consortium in Western Massachusetts, which allows them to take courses and use additional resources, such as libraries, at Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students may also create their own interdisciplinary majors.
2. Grinnell College
Location: Grinnell, Iowa
Acceptance Rate: 15%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1430-1520/31-34
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,788
Outside of your major, you’ll only need to take two courses at Grinnell: a writing class called the First-Year Tutorial and a social orientation course called the First-Year Experience. The open curriculum gives you the chance to sample different courses and disciplines. You may also create your own major if you feel that the opportunities offered don’t quite fit your interests.
3. Hamilton College
Location: Clinton, New York
Acceptance Rate: 14%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1460-1530/33-35
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,037
Students gain a broad liberal arts education at Hamilton, where many matriculate without having a firm idea of the concentration they intend to pursue. Students work with faculty advisors to create an educational plan that reflects their interests and strengths—they don’t need to declare their concentration until the spring semester of their sophomore year; they may also design an interdisciplinary concentration with faculty guidance.
The open curriculum encourages them to pursue a range of passions as they undertake various programs, including a Senior Project.
4. Smith College
Location: Northampton, Massachusetts
Acceptance Rate: 21%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1340-1520/30-33
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,549
Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students at this women’s college navigate an open curriculum meant to help them develop crucial skills. Apart from their major, there’s only one required course, a writing-intensive seminar.
Smith recommends that students pursue coursework in each of seven major fields of knowledge: literature, historical studies, social science, natural science, mathematics and analytic philosophy, the arts, and foreign language. Smithies may also design their own interdepartmental majors.
5. Wesleyan University
Location: Middletown, Connecticut
Acceptance Rate: 16%
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1300-1500/31-34
Undergraduate Enrollment: 3,805
Wesleyan operates on the principle that student agency encourages lifelong learning. That’s why it has an open curriculum that encourages students to explore different subject areas and create their own general education plan.
Students are expected to complete two courses in the university’s three academic areas in their first two years. In their last two years, they’re required to take one more class in each of the three academic areas.
Even if you’re unsure of what you’d like to study, it’s still important to start preparing for the college process sooner rather than later. With our free chancing engine, you’ll find out your odds of admission to more than 500 schools, including those on this list. Plus, you’ll receive plenty of guidance on navigating the admissions process.
