Something strange happened at University of California campuses this fall. For the first time since the dot-com crash, computer science enrollment dropped. System-wide, it fell 6% this year after declining 3% in 2024, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle. Even as overall college enrollment climbed 2% nationally, students are bailing on traditional CS degrees.
The one exception is UC San Diego — the only UC campus that added a dedicated AI major this fall.
This trend might look like a temporary blip tied to news about fewer CS grads finding work out of college. But it's more likely an indicator of the future, one that China is much more enthusiastically embracing. As MIT Technology Review reported, Chinese universities have leaned hard into AI literacy, treating AI not as a threat but instead as essential infrastructure. Nearly 60% of Chinese students and faculty now use AI tools multiple times daily, and schools like Zhejiang University have made AI coursework mandatory.
U.S. universities are scrambling to catch up. Over the last two years, dozens have launched AI-specific programs. MIT's "AI and decision-making" major is now the second-largest major on campus. The University of South Florida enrolled more than 3,000 students in a new AI and cybersecurity college during its fall semester. The University at Buffalo launched a new "AI and Society" department that offers seven new specialized undergraduate degree programs.
The transition hasn't been smooth everywhere. UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts described a spectrum — some faculty "leaning forward" with AI, others with "their heads in the sand." Parents who once pushed kids toward CS are now steering them toward majors that seem more resistant to AI automation, including mechanical and electrical engineering.
According to a survey by the Computing Research Association, 62% of respondents reported that their computing programs saw undergraduate enrollment declines this fall. But with AI programs ballooning, it's looking less like a tech exodus and more like a migration. Students aren't abandoning tech; they're choosing programs focused on AI instead.