Approximately one in six college students said they changed their major or field of study due to concerns about the impact of AI on the job market, according to findings from the 2026 State of Higher Education Survey by Lumina Foundation and Gallup.
The survey was conducted online in October 2025 among 3,801 U.S. students between the ages of 18 and 59 pursuing a bachelor’s or associate’s degree. It found that 13% of bachelor’s degree students said they had already changed their major or field of study because of AI, and 19% of associate degree students said the same.
Furthermore, about 47% of all college students (about 42% of bachelor’s degree students and about 56% of associate degree students) said they had considered changing their major at least “a fair amount” due to AI.
Dr. Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at the Lumina Foundation, said the findings show that AI is changing the way students “think about their futures.”
“We’re starting to hear a lot in the media about AI taking all these jobs,” she says, which makes students question “Will the time and money invested in a degree really pay off?”
The biggest reason why students change their career path
Brown said students are worried that their degrees won’t lead to future career opportunities. They ask themselves, “What major should I pursue to ensure I can get a job when I get out of college?” she says.
Associate’s degree students were even more likely to change their major than bachelor’s students, Brown hypothesizes, “because their qualifications are more closely tied to the current needs of the workforce.”
The problem for both groups, she says, is that students aren’t sure exactly which major will remain “relevant in the world of AI.”
Students in technology and career fields were the most likely to say they had “very much considered” changing their major, at 27% and 17%, respectively. But Brown also notes that those students are most likely to say they’ve already switched to a technology or career major.
Although these results “may seem contradictory,” she says, they accurately reflect students’ uncertainty about which degrees will pay off in the current job market. “They don’t know what to do. Should they get into technology? Should they stay out of technology?” Brown says. “None of us really understand what the AI is going to do.”
Focus on learning “lasting skills”
AI is also playing a role in determining whether students pursue higher education in the first place. According to the survey, approximately one in seven students said preparation for technological advancements, including AI, was their top reason for enrolling in a degree program, while 12% cited concerns about AI’s potential impact on the job market.
Many students want to learn AI skills in college, but not all institutions offer such training, Brown says. AI policies vary widely by university, with 29% of students saying their school does not adequately prepare them to use AI after graduation.
As a result, students are making “high-stakes decisions” about AI and their future careers without “clear guidance” from their schools, Brown said.
Still, Brown emphasizes that no matter what major you choose, higher education provides invaluable skills such as “communication, critical thinking, the ability to work in groups, ask questions, analyze, and synthesize.”
“We know the workforce and technology will continue to change,” she says. “People need to keep upskilling and reskilling after they get their degree, but having some of these lasting skills is really helpful.”
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