Computer Science Enrollment Drops for First Time in Two Decades, Stanford Economist Links to AI Rise
A Stanford economist, Jacob Light, has found that computer science enrollment in U.S. universities fell for the first time in about 20 years during the 2025-26 academic year, coinciding with the rapid rise of generative AI like ChatGPT. Using a dataset covering over 50 million course enrollments from 1,019 institutions since 1996, Light observed a 4.6% decline in CS course enrollment at typical universities and a 6.3 percentage point drop in CS's share of total enrollments. National data from the Student Clearinghouse shows an 8.1% decline in CS undergraduate enrollment in fall 2025. Light emphasizes the data is descriptive, not causal, and lists five possible reasons: weak junior software engineering job market, uncertainty about CS degree value in the AI era, poor academic preparation, demographic shifts due to immigration policy, and competition from fields like data science. Despite the decline, enrollment remains above 2022 levels, leaving open whether this is a temporary correction or a lasting shift.
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