Serbian Students Still Choose Psychology and Medicine Over Engineering Despite Labor Market Gaps

Enrollment Figures and Job Ad Data Side by Side

Serbia’s first university enrollment round this year has confirmed that psychology, medicine, and dentistry remain among the most popular choices for high school graduates, according to an analysis by the job portal Poslovi Infostud. For psychology, competition was fierce: in Novi Sad, 360 candidates applied for just 80 places, while in Belgrade and Niš the ratio reached 4.2 applicants per spot. Application numbers for medical and dental programs were similarly high. The Faculty of Organizational Sciences (FON) and the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade also attracted nearly 2,000 applicants each.

Meanwhile, several engineering tracks in mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering failed to fill available seats. The Faculty of Civil Engineering in Subotica, for instance, saw only 33 applicants for 104 construction places and 17 for 30 geodetic slots. This pattern persists even though job listings from the same period paint a very different picture: over 900 ads in construction and geodesy, 736 in mechanical engineering, and 452 in electrical engineering were posted in the first half of 2026 on Poslovi Infostud alone.

Why Psychology and Medicine Dominate While Engineering Lags

The Pull of Mental Health Visibility and Flexible Career Paths

Psychology’s popularity is fueled by growing public discourse around mental health, psychotherapy, and a more open attitude toward seeking professional help. Many prospective students envision careers in counseling or private practice, but the degree also opens doors in education, healthcare, social protection, and research. The HR sector is an additional magnet, with psychologists working in recruitment, employee development, and organizational culture. However, job market data suggests a cautionary note: of 409 HR-related ads posted in the first half of 2026, only four explicitly targeted psychology graduates, while each of those four still drew an average of around 150 applications. The low number of direct ads does not represent the entire labor market for psychologists, but it does highlight that the volume of openly advertised positions is far smaller than enrollment interest.

Medicine and Dentistry: Strong Demand and the Emigration Factor
Medical and dental programs continue to attract large numbers, with 515 health-related job ads posted in the first half of 2026—roughly the same as a year earlier—and a notable jump in dental ads from 77 to 110. The appeal is reinforced by opportunities abroad; many health professionals leave Serbia for higher salaries and better working conditions, which only increases the perceived value of medical degrees. Still, a significant share of hiring in the public health system occurs through institutional competitions rather than job portals, making advertised numbers an incomplete picture of real demand.

The IT Degree: Still in Demand but No Longer a Guarantee

Interest in IT degrees has not disappeared, but choices are becoming more selective. The University of Belgrade’s School of Electrical Engineering registered 1,045 applicants for 720 places, while less renowned programs saw dramatically lower numbers—for example, only 14 applicants for 70 places in Computer Science at the University of Novi Sad’s Faculty of Sciences. At the same time, the IT job market has cooled: 1,633 IT ads were posted in the first half of 2026, down nearly 35% from 2,508 a year earlier. Entry-level positions are especially scarce, and employers increasingly value data literacy, cybersecurity skills, and practical AI tool usage over a degree alone.

The Engineering Gap: Invisible Careers with Stable Demand

The most pronounced mismatch sits in traditional technical fields. Despite thousands of unfilled job ads in construction, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering, university programs regularly under-recruit. The analysis attributes this partly to the perceived difficulty of the studies and a lack of clear, positive career narratives. Engineering jobs in industry, production, energy, and infrastructure are less visible than roles in IT, marketing, or management, even though they offer opportunities in automation, modern infrastructure, and large-scale projects. The consequence is a persistent structural gap: a limited pool of new specialists entering a market with stable, long-term employer demand.

Practical Steps for Students, Schools, and Employers in Serbia

For high school graduates: Beyond personal interests, evaluate career options based on actual job availability, earned income potential, and the skills that employers in your preferred field demand. Practical experience—internships, languages, data tools, and specific business skills—is what truly sets candidates apart in competitive fields like economics or psychology. For those open to technical paths, the lower competition during studies often translates into higher employment stability later.

For educational institutions and policymakers: The enrollment data underlines the urgent need for more effective professional orientation programs. Students need accessible, realistic information about what jobs look like day-to-day, what career progression is typical, and which sectors are undersupplied with talent. Better collaboration between high schools, universities, and industry could help shift outdated perceptions of engineering careers.

For employers in construction, manufacturing, and engineering: The shortage of new graduates is a structural problem that direct hiring alone cannot solve. Increasing the visibility of engineering careers through school engagement, internship programs, scholarships, and modernized workplace branding will be critical to attracting students before they make their final choice of faculty. The window to influence enrollment decisions begins years before university.