‘It sits at the meeting point of science and the humanities’: should you study psychology?

For Niamh Mulcahy, 21, graduating with a psychology degree from the University of Bath has already paid off. After navigating a competitive graduate jobs market this year, she secured a sales role with a FTSE 100 company starting in September. We covered everything from neuroscience to forensic psychology, and my dissertation was on ‘incels’.

I’ve always been fascinated by human behaviour and why people make the decisions they do.” Mulcahy is not alone. Psychology has become one of the UK’s top subjects at university and is now the second most popular A-level choice after maths. It consistently ranks among the most searched subjects in the Guardian’s University Guide, behind medicine, law and economics.

According to Ucas, applications for psychology courses were up 4.9% in January 2026 compared with the previous year. So what explains psychology’s enduring appeal? At its core, the subject is about understanding how people think, feel and behave.

But academics argue its popularity goes far beyond a growing interest in mental health. Heather Cleland Woods, from the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow, believes the subject is booming because it develops skills that are becoming increasingly valuable in the age of AI. At the other, you’re studying neuroscience and computational models.” That combination also teaches students how to weigh evidence from multiple sources and think critically, he adds, abilities that are becoming more important than ever.

There is also growing interest among young people in subjects that feel relevant to the challenges they see around them. Psychology gives them a framework for understanding topics like the climate crisis, AI, smartphone use and mental health, while also offering the chance to “make a positive difference to people’s lives”. The degree’s versatility is another major draw.

Graduates go on to careers in healthcare, professional psychology, research, teaching and academia, but also into marketing, government, consultancy, HR and the corporate world. For prospective students, choosing between courses is important. Psychology is usually offered as either a BA or a BSc at undergraduate level.