The great computer science exodus (and where students are going instead)
Source: TechCrunch
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 this past week by the San Francisco Chronicle【source】. Even as overall college enrollment climbed 2 % nationally【source】—according to January data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center—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【source】.
Why the shift?
This all might look like a temporary blip tied to news about fewer CS grads finding work out of college【source】. But it’s more likely an indicator of the future, one that China is much more enthusiastically embracing.
- As MIT Technology Review reported last July【source】, Chinese universities have leaned hard into AI literacy, treating AI not as a threat but as essential infrastructure.
- Nearly 60 % of Chinese students and faculty now use AI tools multiple times daily.
- Schools like Zhejiang University have made AI coursework mandatory, while top institutions like Tsinghua have created entirely new interdisciplinary AI colleges. In China, fluency with AI isn’t optional anymore; it’s table stakes.
U.S. universities scramble to catch up
Over the last two years, dozens of U.S. schools have launched AI‑specific programs.
| Institution | Program | Notable Detail |
|---|---|---|
| MIT | “AI and Decision‑Making” major | Now the second‑largest major on campus【source】 |
| University of South Florida | AI & Cybersecurity college | More than 3,000 students enrolled in its first fall semester【source】 |
| University at Buffalo | “AI and Society” department | Offers seven new specialized undergraduate degrees; received >200 applicants before opening【source】 |
| UNC Chapel Hill | AI‑focused school merger & Vice Provost for AI | Chancellor Lee Roberts described faculty attitudes as ranging from “leaning forward” to “heads in the sand”【source】 |
| USC | New AI degree (fall 2026) | 【source】 |
| Columbia University | AI master’s program | 【source】 |
| Pace University | Bachelor of Science in AI (fall 2026) | 【source】 |
| New Mexico State University | AI institute & degrees | 【source】 |
The human side of the transition
- Parents are influencing decisions. David Reynaldo of admissions consultancy College Zoom told the Chronicle that parents who once pushed kids toward CS are now steering them toward majors perceived as less vulnerable to AI automation—such as mechanical and electrical engineering.
- A Computing Research Association survey (October 2025) found 62 % of respondents reported undergraduate enrollment declines in their computing programs this fall【source】. Yet AI programs are ballooning, suggesting a migration rather than an exodus.
Upcoming event
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| TechCrunch Event | Boston, MA | June 23, 2026 |
Outlook
It’s too soon to say whether this recalibration is permanent or a temporary panic. What’s clear is that it serves as a wake‑up call for administrators who have spent years wrestling with how to handle AI in the classroom. The debate continues, but the trend toward AI‑centric education appears unmistakable.
The debate over whether to ban ChatGPT is ancient history at this point. The question now is whether American universities can move fast enough, or whether they’ll keep arguing about what to do while students transfer to schools that already have answers.
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**Connie Loizos** has been reporting on Silicon Valley since the late ’90s, when she joined the original *Red Herring* magazine. Previously the Silicon Valley Editor of TechCrunch, she was named Editor in Chief and General Manager of TechCrunch in September 2023. She’s also the founder of **StrictlyVC**, a daily e‑newsletter and lecture series acquired by Yahoo in August 2023 and now operated as a sub‑brand of TechCrunch.
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