AI threatens coding jobs as U.S. CS undergrad enrollment falls 18.4% in two years

On October 29, 2026, Bloomberg reported on early fall enrollment figures from the National Student Clearinghouse, pointing to a sharp drop in computer and information science programs at U.S. colleges: undergraduate enrollment fell by more than 12% this fall, and graduate enrollment by more than 10%. Bloomberg linked the decline to AI cutting into coding jobs.

The preliminary fall data released by the National Student Clearinghouse on Thursday shows that the slide extends the downturn of the previous year, after computer science had grown for many years. Over a span of just two years, according to the report, undergraduate CS enrollment fell 18.4% and graduate enrollment dropped 27.1%.

The coverage notes that the rise of AI has pushed companies to cut junior programming roles, making it harder for CS graduates to find work, and cites a Labor Bureau of Statistics report from August stating that computer and math occupations have been hit by AI most visibly. Matthew Holsapple, senior research director at the National Student Clearinghouse, said the field had not long ago been one of the fastest-growing areas in higher education, and that such a decline is striking.

In broader terms, U.S. university undergraduate enrollment was flat this fall, with total enrollment up 0.6%, the fourth consecutive year of growth, though the pace slowed from the 2.4% rise recorded in fall 2025. Graduate enrollment fell 1.6%, with master's programs down 3.7%.