Computer and information science departments at US colleges saw an exodus of students this fall, with enrolment declining more than 12% for undergraduate programmes and more than 10% for graduate programmes.
The losses build on last year’s drop, which reversed years of growth for computer science programmes, according to preliminary fall enrolment data from the National Student Clearinghouse released on Oct 29.
Artificial intelligence (AI)’s rise has made it more difficult for computer science graduates to find jobs in recent years, as companies eliminate many entry-level coding roles. In August, a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that computer and mathematics jobs would feel the most impact from AI.
In just two years, computer science undergraduate programmes have lost 18.4% of their students, while graduate programmes have lost 27.1%.
"Those are just remarkable declines for a field that until recently was one of the fastest growing areas that we’d seen in higher education,” said Matthew Holsapple, the National Student Clearinghouse’s senior director of research.
Meanwhile, enrolment in health majors grew as much as 6.2% across all institutions and degree types. The preliminary results signal "substantial differences in what students are studying,” Holsapple said.
More broadly, undergraduate enrolment at US universities flattened this fall. Headcount rose by 0.6%, marking a fourth year of growth but a slowdown from the 2.4% increase in fall 2025. Graduate programme enrolment fell by 1.6%, driven by a 3.7% loss in master’s programmes.
Preliminary data from the National Student Clearinghouse does not include information on international student enrollment, which has been a target of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. New foreign student enrollment fell by 17% for fall 2025, according to analysis by JB International and NAFSA, a US international education group.
The final report expected in January will include numbers on international student enrolment, but early signs suggest continued losses. College applications from abroad fell by about 10% this year, the biggest decline in at least a decade, according to the Common App.
Community colleges are the only bright spot. The schools notched a 1.2% bump in undergraduate enrolment, according to the National Student Clearinghouse report.
"Students are identifying pathways that are right for them beyond the traditional pathway,” Holsapple said. "And I think affordability is almost certainly one important piece of that.” – Bloomberg
