Sixteen percent of U.S. college students have changed their major because of artificial intelligence's impact on the job market, according to a survey from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation that polled approximately 3,800 students. Nearly half of all students surveyed — 47% — said they had given at least a fair amount of thought to switching their field of study for the same reason.

"This is one of the clearest signals we've seen that students are rethinking what their futures are in response to AI," said Dr. Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at Lumina Foundation. The poll found that 14% of students had thought "a great deal" about changing their major or field of study because of AI's potential impact on the job market or specific industries, while 33% had thought about it "a fair amount."

Students in technology and vocational programs reported the highest levels of concern, with 70% in each group saying they had given at least a fair amount of thought to switching fields. Students studying healthcare and natural sciences were among the least likely to say AI prompted them to reconsider their major, according to the survey. A gender gap also emerged: 60% of male students said they had given at least a fair amount of thought to switching, compared with 38% of female students.

Among students who did change their major because of AI's impact, 26% enrolled in a social science, 17% enrolled in business, and 13% enrolled in technology. "Students are moving in both directions when it comes to tech fields. Some are switching into tech because they see opportunity in AI, while others are moving away because they're worried about disruption," Brown said.

Separate data pointed to shifts among younger students. A Niche report published in March, based on high school seniors' interest, found that AI-related specialties accounted for 4.7% of computer science interest in 2026, up from 1.7% in 2023. Interest in programming fell to 10% of computer science interest in 2026 from a peak of 14% in 2020. Software engineering interest rose by 1.2 percentage points from 2025 to 2026, accounting for 22% of computer science interest.

A HireVue report found that 79% of entry-level roles still require a bachelor's degree, but nearly 70% of employers said they are adopting skills-based hiring. In the U.S., more than a quarter of organizations have discussed loosening degree requirements to expand skills-based talent pipelines.

Christina Eid, an American University senior majoring in business administration with a specialization in marketing, runs an annual survey on students' interactions with AI at the university's Kogod School of Business. Her survey found that in 2024, 12% of students said potential employers had asked them about their ability to use AI in the workplace; by 2025, that figure had risen to 30%. Eid said she has been asked about her AI skills in all of her recent job interviews. "That's where our future is headed," she said.