Computer Science Majors Decline, Consistent with Nationwide Trends

As artificial intelligence reshapes the tech industry and perceptions of job security within it, fewer students at Princeton are declaring the computer science major. But Szymon Rusinkiewicz, chair of the department, hopes students consider the full picture, rather than responding solely to the current anxieties of AI.

“I can’t say that we aren’t a little bit annoyed when the perception of ‘AI is coming for your jobs’ doesn’t quite match reality,” he said.

At Princeton, there was a large surge in computer science majors between 2011 and 2017, when it rose to become the top major on campus. It remained at the top in number of degrees conferred by the University from the Class of 2017 until the most recent graduation from the Class of 2025. From 2005 to 2023, the number of computer science majors in the United States quadrupled as well. Now, that momentum appears to have shifted.

For the Class of 2028, 74 students declared a major in the computer science B.S.E. program, down from 117 for the Class of 2027 and 150 for the Class of 2026. Computer science A.B. students will declare in the spring. Among Class of 2026 and 2027 students in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, computer science was by far the most popular major, but this year, it dropped to fourth place, behind electrical and computer engineering, operations research and financial engineering, and mechanical and aerospace engineering.

“Part of this is we are adapting to a new world,” said Rusinkiewicz. “We have definitely noticed that things have leveled off, that we weren’t growing at that explosive pace anymore.”

According to Rusinkiewicz, much of the initial growth in computer science majors was driven by a belief that a degree in the field was a near-guaranteed ticket to a tech job following graduation. Today, that assumption is less certain. To an extent, he said, the reality is that jobs at tech companies are harder to get as AI is increasingly taking over their roles, but that’s not the whole truth.

“It is certainly the case that there have been these very well-publicized stories of people who tried to get tech jobs and did not have a lot of experience with the way modern programming works. That is, you know, in collaboration with AI tools,” he said. “It’s less a case of, ‘AI is coming for your jobs,’ but much more a case of AI is making people more efficient at their jobs.”

Tech companies, he said, are looking to hire people who know how to work with AI.

Students are taking notice. Rahul Kalavagunta ’26, an electrical and computer engineering major, believes that while AI may be encroaching on traditional coding jobs, “for more hardware stuff and robotic stuff, it’s not as effective as of now, but that could change.”

Electrical and computer engineering’s significant rise in majors may reflect that perception. But Tom Griffiths, director of the Princeton Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence, explained that as there is a decrease in these cognitive jobs, there’s going to be an increase in metacognitive jobs, such as knowing enough about software engineering to instruct automated software engineers and systems.

“I can understand why students are trying to model out what the job market is going to look like in a few years when they finish their degrees,” he said. “But I also think there’s going to be all sorts of things that surprise us in terms of the kinds of jobs that become possible with particular skill sets.”

Fewer majors in the department may have some upsides. “I think that everybody is kind of happy about that,” Rusinkiewicz said. Faculty are still advising a large class of seniors on their theses and independent work, and the department recently welcomed a large cohort of graduate students. Many students who major in other engineering disciplines pursue a computer science minor, and students outside of the engineering school continue to take computer science classes.

The department’s master’s program, however, has slightly contracted, partly because master’s students serve as teaching assistants, and the reduced demand for TAs has corresponded with fewer hires. University-wide budget constraints have also meant hiring fewer undergraduate graders and scaling back departmental “swag.”

Sofia Cipriano ’27 contributed reporting to this story.