Computer science enrollment at four-year colleges fell 8.1% in fall 2025, marking the largest one-year drop among major disciplines since 2020. The field, which saw a fivefold increase in degrees granted from 2008 to 2024, dropped from the fourth-largest undergraduate major to sixth. Business, health and liberal arts continue to dominate the top three spots.

While graduation rates haven't yet reflected the shift, National Student Clearinghouse data shows students are migrating to interdisciplinary fields like data analytics and data science, which grew from a few hundred majors in 2020 to over 35,000 in 2025. Some disappearing computer science majors appear to be splintering into specialized programs in AI, robotics and cybersecurity rather than abandoning technical fields entirely.

Students cite multiple factors for the decline: AI's automation of coding tasks, tougher job markets for recent graduates, and reduced hiring from Big Tech firms following pandemic-era hiring binges. Meanwhile, mechanical and electrical engineering majors have seen enrollment increases of 11% and 14% respectively, suggesting students view these fields as more versatile in an AI-driven economy. The shift reflects both genuine technological disruption and cyclical changes in the tech industry's hiring patterns.