Fears that artificial intelligence (AI) will steal jobs are causing many college students to change majors. Recent reports show that one in six students are deciding to switch fields, particularly technology-related ones.
According to a Gallup and Lumina Foundation survey of approximately 3,800 students in the US, one in six (about 16%) said they had changed majors because of the impact of AI on the job market. The report, published on April 2nd, also found that 47% of college students had seriously considered switching fields of study for the same reason.
Dr. Courtney Brown, Vice President of Impact and Planning at the Lumina Foundation, told Business Insider: "This is one of the clearest signals that students are reshaping their future to cope with AI."
Students enrolled in technology and vocational programs are most likely to consider changing majors, with around 70% in each group reporting they have seriously considered it. Conversely, those studying healthcare and natural sciences are least likely to be prompted by AI to reconsider their majors.
Uncertainty in the technology industry
Of the 16% of students who changed majors, 26% switched to social sciences, 17% to business, and 13% to technology.
Ms. Brown stated: "Students are moving in both directions when it comes to the technology field. Some are turning to technology because they see opportunities in AI, while others are leaving due to concerns about disruption."
In engineering fields, a Niche report based on the interests of high school seniors shows that students are moving away from majors that are susceptible to AI automation. The report, published in March, indicated that students are shifting their interest toward AI development, such as software engineering and AI-focused majors, rather than traditional programming.
Interest in programming is projected to reach 10% of computer science students by 2026, down from a peak of 14% in 2020. Conversely, AI is attracting more attention, rising from 1.7% of computer science students in 2023 to 4.7% in 2026. Interest in software engineering is also increasing, rising 1.2 points above 2025 and accounting for 22% of total interest in the computer science field.
A Gallup survey found that students in the humanities, healthcare, and natural sciences were among the least likely to switch majors due to AI. The report also indicated that students in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities were the least likely to use AI.
These findings emerge against the backdrop of a recent resurgence in the English language field and several universities rethinking their liberal arts curricula to incorporate the intersection of AI and the humanities into their teaching, as core skills in the field become increasingly relevant.
Choosing a college major is a big decision and seems increasingly risky as industries evolve rapidly and AI reshapes the job market. However, a degree isn't everything.
A global hiring report for the 2026 graduating class, released by HireVue in March, shows that while 79% of entry-level positions still require a bachelor's degree, nearly 70% of employers say they are adopting a skills-based hiring approach. In the U.S., more than a quarter of organizations have discussed relaxing degree requirements to expand their skills-based talent pool.
Allison Shrivastava, an economist at Niche and author of the Niche report, told Business Insider that the increasing number of students interested in computer software development considering AI-powered fields is a positive sign of how students are adapting.
"It's an effective classification," Shrivastava emphasized . "This is a good response in terms of what we will need from the workforce in the future."
(According to Insider)