<\/p>\n
Undergraduate computer science enrollment across the UC system declined in 2025.<\/p>\n
Yalonda M. James\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
For the first time since the dot-com bust in the early 2000s, undergraduate computer science enrollment across the UC system<\/a> declined in 2025, data show.<\/p>\n Only one UC has defied the downward trend: UC San Diego, the sole campus to have launched an AI major.<\/p>\n The reasons behind the system-wide decline, which comes after more than a decade of rapid growth for the field, aren\u2019t yet entirely clear, though they are likely a sign of how artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the tech industry.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Across the UC system, 12,652 students are majoring in computer science this year\u00a0\u2014 about the same as in 2021. That\u2019s a 6% drop from last year, on top of a 3% drop in 2024. Still, that\u2019s almost twice as many students enrolled in computer science than a decade ago.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Unlike the other campuses, UC Merced didn\u2019t identify computer science as its own school or field of study in the data kept by the UC system. But data from UC Merced shows that enrollment in its \u201ccomputer science and engineering\u201d major dropped in fall of 2025, as well. That decrease coincided with the addition of an electrical engineering major, suggesting the drop could be at least partly due to students enrolling in electrical engineering who would have previously been bundled into computer science.<\/p>\n The enrollment shift comes at a time of great uncertainty and disruption in the tech industry\u00a0\u2014 perhaps the greatest since the dot-com bust. As AI increasingly takes the place of entry-level<\/a> software development jobs, many companies have conducted widespread, high-profile layoffs. <\/a>\u00a0And while the AI companies and startups themselves are growing, traditional career paths in computer science, which have been among the highest-paying entry-level jobs<\/a> in the state, now seem like less of a sure ticket to success.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n David Reynaldo,the founder of admissions consultancy College Zoom<\/a>, said he\u2019s seen this play out in his work with students applying to college. But the biggest shift, he said, is coming from parents.<\/p>\n In past years, parents saw a computer science degree as a clear path to a high-paying job: They might push their children to apply and enroll in those programs. But now those parents are turning toward hard, physical sciences, like mechanical or electrical engineering, as the better option.<\/p>\n \u201cParental pressure plays a lot\u00a0\u2014 a lot, a lot, a lot\u00a0\u2014 on the kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n UC admissions officers first flagged the shift in September at a college counselors conference in San Jose.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest surprise is us trying to fill computer science,\u201d UC Santa Barbara\u2019s admissions director, Cuka Acosta, told a roomful of student advisers from high schools and community colleges. \u201cChanging times! Students are looking at more AI programs.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the UCs. A recent report<\/a> from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that enrollment in computer science programs declined across different types of institutions in the fall.<\/p>\n Still, UC San Diego\u2019s enrollment numbers<\/a> underscore that, while AI appears to be dampening overall interest in computer science, it may also be key to growth for programs that can launch offerings explicitly focused on AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n UC San Diego professor Steven Swanson, chair of the department of computer science and engineering, said in an email to the Chronicle that over the last two years, 20% of applications to the computer science department\u2019s undergraduate programs have been to the AI major<\/a>, which aims to train students in both the algorithmic design of and ethical questions around AI.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cFor a program that\u2019s so new, it\u2019s a great start,\u201d Swanson wrote. \u201cI expect that fraction to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n Enrollment for the first couple of cohorts was limited, Swanson said, to ensure the AI program gets off to a good start. But the department plans to \u201crelax the limit over the next couple years, and that will lead to significant growth.\u201d<\/p>\n The UC system overall declined to comment on the shift in computer science enrollment, referring the Chronicle to individual campuses.\u00a0<\/p>\n UCLA<\/a> computer science professor and vice chair of undergraduate programs Glenn Reinman said in a statement that both the job market and the rapid rise of AI have likely contributed to a leveling off of computer science applications in recent years. But demand remains high\u00a0\u2014 it is still the most applied-to major in the school of engineering, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Reinman also stressed that the university\u2019s curriculum is regularly updated to \u201ckeep pace with this rapidly evolving field\u201d and includes many opportunities for students who wish to use or work in AI to gain the skills and knowledge to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cGenerative AI has tremendous potential to transform industries, including computer science, but it does not replace the need for trained humans,\u201d Reinman wrote, adding that students still have to know how to check and correct AI-generated code and handle \u201chigher-level tasks\u201d that AI can\u2019t yet automate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur curriculum ensures students are prepared to use AI responsibly, enhancing productivity while maintaining ownership of the code they produce,\u201d Reinman said.<\/p>\n UC Berkeley<\/a> spokesperson Janet Gilmore argued that, while the school\u2019s computer science major is down in enrollment, the data was an incomplete picture of students studying computing, as it does not include related majors like electrical engineering and computer sciences and data science, the latter of which has continued growing in popularity since it was introduced in 2020.<\/p>\n Still, even taking all three majors together, applications have fallen slightly from a peak in 2023, Gilmore said.\u00a0<\/p>\n