The 10 Most In-Demand College Degrees in 2026 — And No. 1 Isn’t Computer Science or Engineering

The entry-level job market is tight. Hiring has slowed. Headlines warn of fewer openings and cautious employers. For students graduating in 2026, the question feels urgent: Which degrees actually lead to jobs?

New data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers offers a clear answer — and a surprise.

NACE’s Winter 2026 Salary Survey, conducted between Oct. 8 and Nov. 30, 2025, gathered responses from 150 member organizations across industries. Employers were asked which majors they plan to hire from in the class of 2026. The results show steady demand for business and engineering fields. But the top spot may catch many students off guard.

Top 10 In-Demand Bachelor’s Degrees for 2026

Here are the 10 most in-demand bachelor’s degrees for 2026, according to NACE, along with the percentage of responding employers that plan to hire graduates in each field:

10. Human Resources — 40%

11. Marketing — 44%

12. Logistics/Supply Chain — 44.7%

13. Information Sciences and Systems — 48%

14. Electrical Engineering — 51.3%

15. Business Administration/Management — 58.7%

16. Accounting — 58.7%

17. Computer Science — 60%

18. Mechanical Engineering — 61.3%

19. Finance — 61.3%

According to the survey, finance ties for first place. 61.3% of responding employers said they plan to hire finance graduates. Mechanical engineering matches that figure at 61.3%, and computer science follows at 60%.

The rest of the top ten reflects a familiar mix of technical and business-focused fields. Accounting and business administration each accounted for 58.7%. Electrical engineering reached 51.3%. Information sciences and systems stood at 48%. Logistics and supply chain management and marketing both landed in the mid-40% range. Human resources rounded out the list at 40%.

The data arrives at a moment when many graduates feel uneasy about their prospects. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the U.S. economy added just 181,000 jobs in 2025, a sharp drop from the 1.46 million jobs added in 2024. Entry-level hiring has cooled, and some employers have pulled back.

A separate 2025 Graduate Employability Report from Cengage Group described the current cycle as the toughest entry-level market in five years. Only 30% of graduates reported landing jobs in their field of study. More than 75% of employers said they hired the same number or fewer entry-level workers in 2025 than in 2024.

Against that backdrop, the NACE survey offers a more nuanced picture. Hiring may be flat overall, yet demand remains concentrated in certain majors. And salaries are moving in the opposite direction of hiring volumes.

NACE found that projected starting salaries for 2026 graduates are up across nearly every major category. The social sciences were the only broad field projected to decline after 2025. Computer science, engineering, mathematics and statistics, business, agriculture and natural resources, and communications all show projected increases.

Computer science leads in absolute pay. The projected average starting salary for 2026 grads is $81,535, up 6.9% from $76,251 a year earlier. Engineering and math fields continue to post strong projections. Business majors are holding steady with competitive offers.

“We’re seeing that most employers anticipate upping their salaries, which is especially good news given that hiring is expected to be flat for the class of 2026,” NACE president and CEO Shawn VanDerziel said in a press release.

Early salary numbers matter more than many graduates realize. An October working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that each additional $1,000 earned in a graduate’s first job translates into roughly $700 in higher annual earnings five years later. The first offer sets a trajectory.

The takeaway is less about hype and more about alignment. Computer science and engineering remain strong bets. Mechanical engineering and finance are at the top of employer hiring plans. Business-related majors continue to show resilience. Salary projections are rising across most technical and commercial disciplines.

Graduates entering the class of 2026 face a slower hiring cycle than those who came before them. Yet employer demand has not disappeared. It has narrowed. And in a market where broad hiring is flat, choosing a major that employers actively seek can make a measurable difference in both landing a first job and shaping long-term earnings.

For students weighing their options, the data sends a clear signal. The most attractive degrees in 2026 sit at the intersection of business fluency and technical skill — and this year, finance shares the top of that list.