Are Students Suddenly Losing Interest in Computer Science as AI Coding Takes Off?

Middle and high school students in the United States are reportedly shifting away from studying Computer Science and AI, according to data from the academic mentoring platform Nova Learning. This change comes as Engineering appears to be gaining ground, with a nearly doubling of its share among students. The largest drop in interest occurred in Software & Data Science, a traditional coding pathway, which saw a 44% decline in 2026 shares.

AI, meanwhile, experienced the most substantial reduction in interest among all subjects, down 6.2 points. However, this decline was not consistent across all categories; students appeared to be more reticent about pursuing entry-level software work, while applied and human-focused subfields retained their appeal. Nova Learning attributes the decline in interest to the rise of AI coding tools, which are changing the software development landscape and potentially transforming students' perceptions of a future in technology.

Broader enrollment data supports this trend, with the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reporting a decline in enrollment for Computer and Information Science programs at four-year institutions, even as Engineering programs grew. The drop in undergraduate enrollment in CS programs at four-year institutions was 8.1%, falling to approximately 606,000 students.