MajorSignal

Admissions intelligence powered by data.
Analyzing college admissions, majors, financial aid, and enrollment behavior.
Evidence, not guesses.

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Health Professions Career Map: Nearly 1 in 2 Become Registered Nurses

Health Professions looks very different from most broad college majors.

Nearly half of employed graduates become registered nurses, creating one unusually dominant career pathway. After nursing, the field spreads across many smaller clinical, technical, administrative, and support roles.

This MajorSignal Career Map shows where Health Professions graduates actually go.

Source: Census ACS PUMS 2024 + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

https://t.co/BdWEc010nE
Evidence, not guesses.

#HealthProfessions #Nursing #CareerMap #CollegeMajors #MajorSignal

https://t.co/WyX42P6y5E

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Business Career Map: Only 1 in 13 Become Accountants

Only about 1 in 13 employed Business & Management grads become accountants and auditors.
Business is not one job title. It is a cluster of career paths.
This MajorSignal Career Map lists all displayed observed outcomes for Business & Management grads, using Census-based outcome data and BLS 2024 market context.

Key data
- Accountants and auditors — 7.6% — $86k
- Financial managers — 4.2% — $119k
- First-line supervisors of retail sales workers — 2.2% — $74k
- General and operations managers — 2.0% — $102k
- Human Resources & Labor Relations Roles — 2.0% — $81k
- Top 5 displayed roles — 18.0%
- CIP2 52 graduates — 156.3K

The full video lists all 24 displayed career outcomes.

**Source:** Census-based outcomes + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

**https://t.co/BdWEc010nE**
Evidence, not guesses.

#BusinessMajor #CollegeMajors #CareerMap #BusinessSchool #MajorSignalhttps://youtube.com/shorts/i660vbztZto?feature=share

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Health Professions Career Map: 1 in 2 Become Registered Nurses

Nearly one in two employed Health Professions graduates become registered nurses.

But Health Professions is not one job title. It is a cluster of career paths.

This MajorSignal Career Map lists all 21 displayed observed outcomes using Census-based outcome data and BLS 2024 market context.

Key data
- Registered nurses — 49.0% — $81k
- Medical and health services managers — 3.0% — $102k
- Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians — 1.4% — $75k
- Elementary & Middle School Teachers — 1.4% — $54k
- Nursing assistants — 1.3% — $57k
- Top 5 displayed roles — 56.1%

**Source:** Census-based outcomes + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

**https://t.co/BdWEc01ydc**
Evidence, not guesses.

#HealthProfessions #CollegeMajors #CareerMap #Healthcare #MajorSignalhttps://youtube.com/shorts/utX6v4ASHAI?feature=share

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Business Career Map: Only 1 in 13 Become Accountants

Business is one of the largest college fields, but no single career dominates.

The most common observed role is accountants and auditors at about 1 in 13 employed Business graduates.

Finance, operations, HR, sales, management, marketing, and many other paths follow.

This MajorSignal Career Map shows where Business graduates actually go.

Source: Census ACS PUMS 2024 + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

https://t.co/BdWEc010nE
Evidence, not guesses.

#Business #CareerMap #CollegeMajors #BusinessMajor #MajorSignal

https://t.co/QAgcr4FoQd

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

MajorSignal Career Map — CM_01 Computer Science

Computer Science Career Map: Only 1 in 4 Become Software Developers

Only 1 in 4 employed Computer Science grads become software developers.
Computer Science is not one job title. It is a cluster of career paths.
This MajorSignal Career Map shows where employed CS graduates actually go, using observed Census-based outcomes with BLS 2024 market context.
**Key data**
- Software developers — 24.3%
- Computer occupations, all other — 5.8%
- Computer & information systems managers — 4.0%
- Information & record clerks — 3.4%
- Computer systems analysts — 2.7%
- Top 5 displayed roles — 40.2%
- CIP2 11 graduates — 64.4K
The full video lists all 21 displayed career outcomes.
**Source:** Census-based outcomes + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

**https://t.co/BdWEc010nE**
Evidence, not guesses.

#ComputerScience #CollegeMajors #CareerMap #STEM #MajorSignalhttps://youtube.com/shorts/IiQOWuUV_JM?feature=share

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Engineering Career Map: The #1 Role Is Software Developers

The most common observed role for employed Engineering graduates is **software developers** — but it is only **9.8%** of employed grads.
Engineering is not one job title. It is a cluster of career paths.
This MajorSignal Career Map lists all displayed observed outcomes for Engineering grads, with Census-based outcome data and BLS 2024 market context.

Key data
- Software developers — 9.8% — $142k
- Civil engineers — 7.2% — $107k
- Mechanical engineers — 5.2% — $107k
- Project management specialists — 2.3% — $122k
- Architectural & engineering managers — 2.2% — $168k
- Top 5 displayed roles — 26.7%
- CIP2 14 graduates — 87.7K

The full video lists all 20 displayed career outcomes.
Source: Census-based outcomes + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

**https://t.co/BdWEc010nE**
Evidence, not guesses.

#Engineering #CollegeMajors #CareerMap #STEM #MajorSignalhttps://youtube.com/shorts/W1mjXLfMEBA?feature=share

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Engineering Career Map: The #1 Role Is Software Developer

The most common observed role for employed Engineering graduates is software developer — but it is only 9.8%.
Engineering graduates spread across civil, mechanical, aerospace, chemical, construction, systems, management, and many other roles.
This MajorSignal Career Map shows where Engineering graduates actually go.

Source: Census ACS PUMS 2024 + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

https://t.co/BdWEc010nE
Evidence, not guesses.

#Engineering #CareerMap #CollegeMajors #STEM #MajorSignal

https://t.co/I9GM9M1TOy

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Psychology Career Map: No Single Career Reaches 4%

Psychology does not funnel graduates into one dominant occupation.

In the observed Career Map, no single displayed job reaches 4% of employed Psychology graduates. The top role is teaching, followed by nursing, social work, HR, customer service, and many other paths.

This MajorSignal Career Map shows where Psychology graduates actually go.

Source: Census ACS PUMS 2024 + BLS 2024 market data · MajorSignal analysis

https://t.co/BdWEc01ydc
Evidence, not guesses.

#Psychology #CareerMap #CollegeMajors #PsychologyMajor #MajorSignal

https://t.co/88gP1uYjDU

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

*10 Public Colleges Where Legacy Is Still ON**

Public does **not** automatically mean legacy is off.
In our Common Data Set C7 sample, **10 public colleges** mark alumni/ae relation as **Considered**:

- UNC Chapel Hill
- University of Maryland
- William & Mary
- Stony Brook
- Clemson
- Colorado School of Mines
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Florida International University
- United States Naval Academy
- United States Air Force Academy

So the simple shortcut does not work:

**Private ≠ always ON**
**Public ≠ always OFF**

Legacy is a **school policy choice**. Check the college, not the stereotype.

https://t.co/ewvW5IJN4H
College decisions, backed by data.

#LegacyAdmissions #CollegeAdmissions #CommonDataSet #MajorSignal

https://t.co/NHCJJbU5lx

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

22 Private Colleges Turn Legacy Off
Selective private does not automatically mean legacy.
In this CDS C7 sample, 22 private colleges mark alumni relation as **Not Considered**—including Amherst, MIT, Pomona, Johns Hopkins, Harvey Mudd, Carleton, Caltech, Wesleyan, Davidson, and Rice.

The point is simple: prestige does not predict legacy policy. Some legacy-off schools are STEM-heavy; others are liberal arts colleges or broader private universities.

Before assuming a college gives legacy preference, check the school’s actual CDS C7 signals.https://t.co/BT6mIINTzD

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Applying STEM?
At some top universities, male and female applicants can face noticeably different admission rates.
Brown, UChicago and Yale show one pattern.
Caltech, MIT and Carnegie Mellon show another.
Same STEM goal. Different gender. Different odds.
MajorSignal — college decisions, backed by data.
#CollegeAdmissions #STEM #CollegeApplication #MajorSignal
https://t.co/BAkHIiWHjr

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Legacy Admissions Isn’t a Score. It’s ON or OFF #collegeadmissions https://t.co/9qMWu7ao9b 来自 @YouTube

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Only 26 bachelor’s graduates across our 359-college sample. Is the field disappearing? Not necessarily—the bachelor’s degree may be the wrong credential to measure it. Some careers run through certificates, associate degrees or apprenticeships. https://t.co/G27KBDUl5o

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

What is the biggest college major?
By total 2024 bachelor’s graduates, Business & Management leads with 156.3K. But by college coverage, Biology & Life Sciences leads with graduates recorded across 335 colleges. Computer Science leads neither measure.
Major size has two dimensions: • Graduate volume • College coverage A field can be widely distributed without producing the most graduates—and can produce large cohorts without appearing across as many colleges. Data scope: IPEDS 2024 bachelor’s completions 359-college MajorSignal sample 36 broad major fields 914,076 bachelor’s degrees “College coverage” means colleges with recorded bachelor’s completions in the dataset, not a count of current program offerings.
Explore the programs, colleges, and outcomes behind the major label: https://t.co/ewvW5IJN4H College decisions, backed by data. Evidence, not guesses.https://t.co/er4avqJfnp

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

President Trump is right to prioritize U.S. mining education to secure our critical minerals supply chain.
The $100M investment is crucial, but the data shows the pipeline is incredibly dry.

FOX Business notes fewer than 170 grads. MajorSignal tracked-college data is even more specific: 121 Mining Engineering graduates total across 11 schools last year.

To succeed, students need to know EXACTLY which Program + School to choose.

See where the talent is: [https://t.co/ewvW5IKkUf 链接]
#MiningEngineering #CriticalMinerals #STEM #EnergyIndependence #USGS #MajorSignal

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

Engineering is NOT just one major. 🛠️

Our latest Deep Dive breaks down 87,731 grads across 51 specific engineering programs to reveal where the jobs and money actually are.

Key findings:
🔸 ME alone accounts for 26.8% of all grads.
🔸 The top 5 programs make up 66.4% of the volume.
🔸 Why #Program + #School is the only decision that matters.

Stop guessing. Start analyzing. Get the full data:https://t.co/eIiizoPzMQ

@MajorSignal_Net #Engineering #STEM #CollegeAdmissions #HigherEd #DataDriven #EngineeringLife #CareerPath #MajorSignal

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

50/50 isn't an accident. Here's how elite schools manufacture gender balance — and who benefits.
Every elite school faces the same question about gender. Some schools' answers are clearer than others.
The common assumption is that schools with balanced applicant pools don't need to intervene on gender, and schools with skewed pools do. The data partially supports that — but also breaks it in important places.
The key comparison
Vanderbilt and UChicago have nearly identical female applicant shares — 54.1% and 54.2%. Their enrolled outcomes are completely different.
Vanderbilt enrolled female: 54.4%. Essentially follows the pool.
UChicago enrolled female: 44.7%. Pushed down nearly 10 percentage points.
Same input. Radically different output. This is the clearest evidence in the dataset that intervention is a policy choice, not a mechanical response to applicant pool composition.
Yale (56.6% female applicants, 49.7% enrolled) vs JHU (55.5% female applicants, 54.9% enrolled). Same story.
Schools that actively manage toward 50/50
Correcting upward — female applicant pool is too small, so women get higher admission rates:
Harvey Mudd: 33% female applicants → 50% enrolled (21% vs 9% admit rate)
MIT: 32% → 45% (7% vs 4%)
Caltech: 32% → 51% (4% vs 2%)
CMU: 38% → 43% (15% vs 10%)
Correcting downward — female applicant pool is too large, so men get higher admission rates:
Brown: 61% female applicants → 50% enrolled (7% vs 4% admit rate)
Yale: 57% → 50% (5% vs 3%)
UChicago: 54% → 45% (6% vs 4%)
Columbia: 54% → 47%
Dartmouth: 50% → 47% (6% vs 5%)
Different directions, identical mechanism: use admission rates to hit a gender ratio target regardless of what the pool looks like.
Schools where the picture is less clear
Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, JHU, Rice — male and female admission rates are effectively identical this cycle. Enrolled ratio follows the applicant pool.
The honest caveat here: most of these schools have applicant pools that are already close to balanced. When there isn't much skew to correct, the absence of correction doesn't tell us much about what the school would do if the skew were larger. Harvard's pool is 52.5% female — there's no particular pressure to intervene. That's different from Vanderbilt and JHU, which face 54-55% female pools and don't intervene — but even there, one cycle of data isn't enough to call it a definitive policy stance.
What this dataset can't answer: what these schools would do if their applicant pools shifted to 60%+ female. The Vanderbilt-UChicago comparison suggests that two schools in identical situations can make opposite choices — but we only know what each school actually did, not what they would do under different conditions.
What this means for applicants
The headline admission rate at any school is an average of two different numbers. At schools that actively manage gender ratios, those numbers can be far apart.
Women applying to Harvey Mudd, MIT, Caltech, CMU: the overall admit rate understates your probability.
Men applying to Brown, Yale, UChicago, Columbia: the overall admit rate understates your probability.
Applicants to Harvard, Duke, Stanford: gender doesn't appear to be a variable this cycle. Whether that holds in future cycles, under different pool conditions, the data doesn't say.

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

These schools track demonstrated interest in their CDS data. Here's the list and the two-year playbook.
Not every school tracks demonstrated interest. But some schools have a yield problem — they know applicants use them as backups, and an empty seat costs them. So they measure interest before they admit you. This comes directly from CDS Section C7.
Important
Bates · Rochester · Lehigh · Santa Clara · Tulane · Pittsburgh · RIT
Considered
Northwestern · Duke · Dartmouth · Rice · Michigan · WashU · NYU · Tufts · Northeastern · Bowdoin · Wellesley · Barnard · Hamilton · Middlebury · Davidson · Smith · Grinnell · Washington & Lee · Haverford · Holy Cross · Mount Holyoke · Colorado College
Don't bother performing interest for MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, or Princeton — they've explicitly marked it Not Considered.
10th grade
Register on every target school's admissions portal. Real name, real email, real graduation year. This seeds your file in their CRM.
Open every email they send. Click the links inside. Schools track this. Thirty opened emails over eighteen months is a data point in your favor.
Attend a virtual info session. Ask a specific question — something that requires actually knowing this school. Email the admissions officer the same day. Three sentences. Reference what you asked. Get your name in their inbox.
11th grade
Visit if you can. Book through your portal account. Schedule an interview if available. Junior year visits carry more weight than senior year visits — timing is part of the signal.
Can't visit: find the regional recruitment event in your city. Sign in. Ask a question. Send a follow-up email that day with one specific detail from the conversation.
12th grade
Early Decision is the single strongest demonstrated interest signal that exists. It's a binding commitment. Schools know the seat is filled. If the finances work and you genuinely want to be there, ED outweighs everything else you've done combined.
The Why School essay has one test: can it be submitted to another school without changing a word? If yes, rewrite it. Specific professor, specific program, specific moment on campus — anything that breaks if you swap in a peer institution.
When admissions opens your file they see a contact history. Visits logged, emails opened, events attended, follow-ups sent. Eighteen months of consistent engagement means you're a familiar name, not a stranger who appeared in October. That's what demonstrated interest actually is.

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

The majors with the lowest unemployment right now are the ones that require a physical body. That's not a coincidence.
Everyone is asking which skills to learn to survive AI. I went and looked at which majors already have the lowest unemployment rates, before AI displacement fully hits.
The results are uncomfortable if you're in tech.
Highest unemployment right now:

Architecture: 6.84%
Arts & Design: 6.76%
CS & Info Systems: 6.49%
Lowest unemployment right now:
Foreign Languages: 1.58%
Agriculture: 1.97%
Public Policy: 2.09%
Construction & Trades: 2.18%
Education: 2.39%
The pattern is not about prestige or salary. It's about physicality and institutional protection.
Teachers have tenure pipelines and union contracts. Construction workers have to show up to a job site. Agricultural work is seasonal and place-bound. Government policy jobs move at bureaucratic speed — AI can assist but not replace the accountability structure.
CS is different. The entry-level coding work that used to absorb new graduates is the exact work that Copilot and Claude are eating. The senior engineers are fine. The junior pipeline is getting compressed. That 6.49% unemployment rate is the early signal.
This is not an argument against studying CS. It's an argument against the assumption that technical skills automatically equal job security in an AI environment. They don't, if the technical skill is itself automatable.
The more uncomfortable implication: a $46k/year teacher with 2.39% unemployment and a defined benefit pension may have more financial stability through the next decade than a $95k junior developer who gets laid off every time a foundation model gets better at writing boilerplate.
AI replaces tasks, not presence. It replaces outputs, not relationships. It replaces code, not classrooms.
The jobs that survive won't be the ones that learned to use AI. They'll be the ones AI can't show up for.

[MajorSignal @MajorSignalAPP]

For international applicants, financial aid is not one category.
After the need-blind schools, the market splits into several types:
1. Need-aware + full need
Duke, Williams, Cornell, Swarthmore, Penn, Northwestern, UChicago, Vanderbilt.
Harder to get in with need, but if admitted, aid can be large.
2. Selective large aid
Columbia, Brown, Stanford, Rice, Tufts, Middlebury, Wellesley, Haverford.
Not guaranteed, but some funded students receive very large packages.
3. Partial aid
BU, Tulane, Rochester, Case Western, NYU, USC, Northeastern.
Aid exists, but families may still face a large cost gap.
4. Mostly full-pay
UCs, UIUC, Ohio State, many large publics.
International FA strategy is not “Which school gives aid?”
It is: which aid market matches your family’s financial position?