US EditionAlmost half of college students have considered changing majors due to potential AI impact: Polling
The survey found 16% already changed majors, while students in technology and vocational programs were most likely to rethink their field.
- A Gallup and Lumina Foundation survey of 3,801 students released Thursday found that 47% of college students have considered switching majors due to AI's impact on the job market.
- Between 2022 and 2025, early-career workers in AI-exposed occupations experienced 16% relative employment declines, prompting students to second-guess their career plans as generative AI reshapes the job market.
- Technology and vocational students are most likely to consider changing majors, while those studying healthcare and natural sciences are least likely, with 34% in each reporting such concerns.
- One in six students—roughly 16%—have already changed their major, while 57% use AI weekly for coursework despite 42% of schools discouraging its use and 11% prohibiting it.
- Dr. Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at Lumina Foundation, told Business Insider that students are "rethinking what their futures are," with some moving toward AI-focused specialties while others shift away due to disruption concerns.
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12 Articles
Hard number: AI has college students second-guessing
College students in the US know they’re soon entering a labor market that looks dramatically different from their parents’ generation, and even from a few years ago. Unemployment among young people is up. Meanwhile, companies are shedding jobs, citing AI as the reason. New polling shows nearly half are second-guessing their career plans.
Nearly Half of U.S. College Students Consider Changing Majors Due To AI Concerns, Poll Finds
A new survey found that 47% of currently enrolled college students have thought at least "a fair amount" about changing their major or field of study because of AI's potential impact on the job
Almost half of college students have considered changing majors due to potential AI impact: Polling
A poll released Thursday found almost half of college students have considered switching majors due to AI as its impact on the workforce grows. The Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2026 State of Higher Education survey found 47 percent of all currently enrolled college students have thought about switching majors “a great deal” or a “fair amount” due to AI. Men and those going for associate…
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