Computer science enrollment faced a decline in 2025-26, prompted by the rise of AI technologies like ChatGPT, a Stanford economist reveals.
Computer science enrollment faced a decline in 2025-26, prompted by the rise of AI technologies like ChatGPT, a Stanford economist reveals.
The explosive rise of ChatGPT may coincide with a turning point for one of America’s fastest-growing college subjects.
According to research conducted by Jacob Light, an economist at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, computer science enrollment saw a decline during the 2025-26 academic year for the first time in nearly two decades. While the study itself does not specify the extent of this drop, data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center revealed a notable 8.1% year-over-year decrease in undergraduate enrollment within Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services at four-year colleges in the fall of 2025.
This downturn in enrollment coincides with the rapid adoption of generative AI technologies. However, Light was careful to clarify that the available data does not definitively indicate that artificial intelligence was the cause of the slowdown.
Light’s research encompassed a dataset covering more than 50 million course sections provided since 1996, involving 1,019 colleges and universities across the United States. By tracking long-term enrollment patterns alongside the burgeoning capabilities of large language models, Light aimed to shed light on these educational trends.
In recent years, computer science had garnered widespread popularity, particularly driven by a surge in demand for software engineers and tech professionals. Data showed the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in computer and information sciences more than doubled, increasing from around 56,000 in 2014 to about 122,000 in 2024.
However, the emergence of AI tools capable of writing code, debugging programs, and completing various technical assignments has triggered discussions about the evolving value proposition of the computer science field.
Light suggested several reasons that could explain the recent decline in enrollment. “The drop might reflect changes in the educational landscape as generative AI alters how students approach coursework, shifts in students’ expectations regarding the benefits of computer science skills, reactions to labor market dynamics influenced by AI, or a broader decline in the technology job market unrelated to AI,” he noted.
He emphasized that the data cannot identify among these potential factors, stating, “Thus, I interpret the enrollment patterns as descriptive evidence rather than an estimate of the causal relationship between ChatGPT or AI exposure and student demand for computer science education.”
The findings align with the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Fall 2025 enrollment report, which found that undergraduate enrollment in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services saw a decrease of 8.1% year-over-year, dropping from approximately 659,700 students in 2024 to 606,100 in 2025.
Despite this reduction, enrollment numbers remain significantly higher than those recorded in 2022, which numbered 574,333 students. This suggests that the recent downturn is following a period of rapid growth.
Whether this slowdown is transient or signifies a lasting shift in student attitudes toward computer science still remains an open question. Looking ahead, Light posits that clarity will emerge as future student cohorts make their course and major selections.
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