Intended college major choice and the inheritance of majors

• High school students with both parents who graduated in the major group have a much higher probability of enrolling in that major group after high school than other students. • The effect of having at least a family member who graduated in the same major group on the intended choice of major is highest for medicine and health professions, economics and law and STEM, and lowest for psychology, political and social sciences. • High school students whose parents have graduated in the major expect to have a higher major – specific ability than other students. They also show a stronger interest in the major by being more likely to collect information on it. Using Italian data, we study whether the intended choice of college major by final year high school students is affected by the college major selected by family members. We find evidence of strong inter-generational persistence, especially in medicine and health professions, followed by economics and law, and STEM. Persistence is strongest when both parents have graduated in the major.