(The Center Square)–A majority of American voters agree that a student’s chosen major or field of study should be considered before approving federal student loans, according to a new poll.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found that 54% of respondents agree that a student’s chosen major or field of study should be among the factors, while 31% disagree.
The view intersects political affiliations, with 61% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats agreeing with the proposal.
Support also extends across income groups. Among respondents earning $50,000 to $100,000 annually and those earning more than $100,000, 56% agreed that federal loan approval should consider a student’s major.
Although most voters support considering a student’s major when approving federal loans, many students begin college without a declared major. Between 20% and 50% of students start college undecided, and about 75% change their major at least once before graduating, according to Best Colleges, an online planning tool to help prospective college students.
Student loan debt remains significant nationwide, with the federal student loan portfolio reaching approximately $1.8 trillion.
Pollster Mike Noble, founder and CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, told The Center Square that the cost and value of a college degree can depend heavily on a student’s chosen major.
He noted that the growing number of highly specialized majors can leave graduates with relatively few job opportunities or low-paying positions, particularly in some nonprofit fields. Some graduates are entering the workforce with significant student debt and multiple degrees but little practical experience, Noble added.
Noble said the student debt situation is partly the result of a generational push toward higher education.
“You had all these groups where they didn’t go. It’s like ‘No, you got to go to college’ because they wanted what they didn’t have for their kids. So they all did it, and so you had this huge influx,” Noble said. “Now there are so many options … Anyone can start college today and sign off for those loans … But is that person serious? Are they going to go through the program?”
Economists have raised questions about whether federal lending should be tied to the economic value of particular degree programs.
Wayne Winegarden, a senior fellow in business and economics at the Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute, said taxpayers remain financially responsible for federally backed loans, including those used to finance degrees whose economic returns may not justify their costs.
Winegarden also cautioned against having the federal government make judgments about the value or viability of academic programs.
“I see it is not actually trying to be helpful as much as they’re being punitive against things that they don’t like, and that’s not actually a helpful solution,” Winegarden told The Center Square. “It’s not an outsider’s perspective to judge the success or the viability of a program based on kind of that type of criteria. Perhaps the three journalism majors have a broader benefit to the university.”
“It’s no place for the federal government to come in and start, kind of getting involved in those decisions,” Winegarden added.
Similar efforts have already been initiated by the Trump administration. Under the Student Tuition and Transparency System and Earnings Accountability rule announced June 29, undergraduate programs will be required to demonstrate that their graduates earn more than the typical high school diploma holder.
“If a program cannot show that it leaves its graduates financially better off than if they had never enrolled, it should not be underwritten by federal taxpayers,” Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a statement.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from Aug. 12-16, surveying 2,533 registered U.S. voters. The sample included 930 Republicans, 930 Democrats, and 673 Independents. Among independent voters, 330 respondents were classified as True Independents, or those who do not lean toward either major party when given the choice. The margin of error is +/- 2.0%.
