Nearly half of undergraduate students take out loans for their education, with a median debt of $25,084 upon completing a bachelor’s degree, according to financial news site Investopedia citing a recent report by the U.S.-based education research group Education Data Initiative.

Computer and engineering fields account for four of the top 10 majors with the highest student debt, with borrowing levels ranging from over $34,000 to more than $41,000.

Curriculum and instruction ranks first, with graduates carrying a median debt of $46,820. The major typically leads to careers in education research or policymaking, or serves as a pathway to graduate programs in teaching.

Behavioral sciences follows at $44,554, leading to careers in human resources, research, and mental health counseling.

Graduation ceremony at Ohio State University, U.S. in 2025. Photo courtesy of the university

The report indicates that the cost of a bachelor’s degree varies depending on access to financial aid, type of institution, and time taken to graduate. It also notes that some majors are linked to lower salaries or higher unemployment rates, making it harder for graduates to repay loans.

Stanley Tate, a Baltimore-based lawyer specializing in student debt, told The New York Times that federal student loans are "contractual debts," meaning students have the obligation to repay regardless of citizenship or residency.

Michele Zampini, associate vice president of federal policy and advocacy at the Institute for College Access and Success, said the psychological burden of debt is widespread among students.

"It’s not necessarily ‘I can’t afford it,’" she said. "It’s sometimes ‘It feels like I had no other choice but to go to college and I had to take out loans to go, and now I’m going to be stuck with this,’ which can define people’s lives in a way that feels very unfair and harmful."

Top 10 college majors with the highest student debt:

1. Curriculum and instruction — $46,820

2. Behavioral sciences — $44,554

3. Engineering-related technologies — $41,308

4. Complementary and alternative medicine — $40,522

5. Theology and religious vocations — $38,722

6. Computer systems analysis — $38,536

7. Practical nursing, vocational nursing and nursing assistants — $37,233

8. Electromechanical instrumentation and maintenance technologies/technicians — $35,312

9. Religion/religious studies — $34,799

10. Electromechanical engineering — $34,149