Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved from a futuristic concept to a vital component of our daily lives.
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SINCE the Great Recession left technology as a rare spot of optimism in American industry, computer science has been among the fastest-growing college majors in the country, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
From 2008 to 2024, the number of four-year computer science degrees granted rose about fivefold — more than double the pace of the next fastest-growing large majors, including exercise science, nursing and mechanical engineering.
Now there are signs that the 15-year boom in computer science education may be ending, or at least evolving. The shift is not yet visible in graduation data, but it is emerging in enrollment figures from the nonprofit National Student Clearinghouse, which tracks nearly all U.S. universities.
Student enrollment in computer science at four-year colleges fell 8.1 percent in the fall of 2025 — the largest one-year drop of any major since at least 2020. In a single year, computer science slipped from the fourth-largest undergraduate major to sixth, behind business, health and liberal arts.
The decline is not uniform across institutions, but the national trend is echoed in faculty surveys and has become a central topic within computer science academia.
Artificial intelligence is an obvious suspect. Some commentators have framed AI as a threat to the field’s future. The Atlantic declared that “the computer-science bubble is bursting,” while Nobel Prize-winning economist Simon Johnson warned that AI has “substantially wiped out” coding as a “source of productive opportunity.”
Computer science students are trained to write programs that instruct machines. Now, AI is beginning to automate parts of that work, and even experienced programmers have voiced concerns about obsolescence. It is easy to imagine prospective students — or their parents — questioning whether the degree still guarantees a well-paying career.
But the data tells a more complicated story.
Among roughly 54,000 fewer computer science majors this academic year compared with last, many did not abandon the field so much as shift within it. Sarah Karamarkovich, a research associate at the National Student Clearinghouse, pointed to rising enrollment in interdisciplinary fields such as data analytics and data science. Together, these programs enrolled more than 35,000 students in fall 2025, up from just a few hundred in 2020.
This reflects universities’ growing appetite for specialized degrees — including AI, robotics and cybersecurity. The result is a splintering effect: students interested in coding and computation are spreading into adjacent disciplines rather than disappearing altogether.
Student sentiment also plays a role.
When Gavin O’Malley was applying to college, he found computer science intimidating. At his Houston-area high school, only the top students pursued it, and competition for elite programs appeared fierce. Social media amplified doubts, with posts mocking the job struggles of computer science graduates.
His hesitation reflects broader shifts in the job market that are not solely about AI.
Recent graduates are struggling to secure stable, well-paying jobs, and computer science is no exception. Programming roles still exist, but the supply of graduates has surged just as major employers — particularly Big Tech companies such as Google and Meta — have slowed hiring after pandemic-era expansion.
Companies are increasingly trying to do more with fewer workers, and there is early, contested evidence that AI may be contributing to higher unemployment among young workers in technical fields.
In this environment, students who choose computer science may be doing so out of genuine interest rather than pure career calculation. As Theo Urban, a senior at Carnegie Mellon University majoring in AI, suggests, passion may be replacing pragmatism as the primary motivator.
Meanwhile, adjacent fields are benefiting.
The 8 percent decline in computer science enrollment is closely mirrored by a 7.3 percent rise in engineering majors. Mechanical and electrical engineering saw significant growth — increasing by 11 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
Michael Leamy, now chair of mechanical engineering at the University of Vermont, has observed this surge firsthand. At his previous post at the Georgia Institute of Technology, lab hours were extended to accommodate growing demand. At Vermont, applications to mechanical engineering have risen sharply, while interest in computer science has dropped.
Students may perceive engineering as offering broader or more tangible career paths in an AI-driven economy, particularly in sectors such as robotics, aerospace, drones and electric vehicles.
Still, not everyone believes computer science is in decline. Compared with the relatively steady trajectory of engineering, computer science has historically been more sensitive to job market perceptions. Enrollment dipped in the late 1980s and again after the dot-com crash, only to rebound each time.
Tom Cortina, associate dean at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science, argues that adaptability is key. He tells students their careers will likely span multiple technological waves over decades. While some programs are shrinking, his remains stable.
“We think that AI is having some impact,” Cortina said. “I remain optimistic that this is just a dip.”
As for O’Malley, he ultimately chose mechanical engineering at Rice University, partly to avoid the crowded field of computer science.
“I would say that competition between peers was probably the largest factor for me,” he said.