Computer Science Enrollment Is Cooling

Computer Science Enrollment Declines Point to Shifting Student Demand

For much of the past decade, computer science was the defining growth story in higher education. The latest Spring 2026 enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse suggests that computer science is telling a new story.

While overall undergraduate enrollment continues to grow, computer science enrollment is moving in the opposite direction. Undergraduate Computer and Information Sciences enrollment declined across every major institutional sector this spring, signaling that students are reassessing one of higher education’s most popular fields.

Research Shows Shift in Student Demand

According to the Clearinghouse Enrollment Insights: Final Spring Enrollment Trends report,  undergraduate Computer and Information Sciences enrollment trends shifted across sectors, with enrollment falling by:

• 8.4% at four-year institutions
• 9.3% at primarily associate degree-granting baccalaureate institutions
• 11.2% at two-year colleges

Nearly every major group within Computer and Information Sciences experienced enrollment declines.

These numbers stand out because they contrast sharply with broader higher education enrollment trends. Overall undergraduate enrollment grew 1.3% in Spring 2026, with gains driven by public institutions. The fields of health professions and engineering also posted significant enrollment increases.

Shift Noted in the Fall

Similar trends were seen in fall 2025. In its Final Fall Enrollment Trends report, the National Student Clearinghouse reported that enrollment in Computer and Information Sciences programs declined across all award levels and institution types.

Decreases ranged from 3.6% at undergraduate primarily associate-baccalaureate institutions to 14.0% at the graduate level.

That decline also occurred while fall enrollment increased overall: Total postsecondary enrollment in the United States grew 1.0% in fall 2025, driven by gains in undergraduate enrollment at both community colleges and public 4-year programs.

“These fall enrollment trends continued into spring 2026, as more students enrolled in undergraduate programs, so Computer Science stands out for its enrollment declines,” said Matthew Holsapple, Senior Director of Research at the National Student Clearinghouse. “Fewer students are choosing to enroll in nearly all of the most popular major groups within Computer and Information Sciences.”

Persistence of Computer Science Students Lowest Among Top 10 Majors

The National Student Clearinghouse also tracked Computer Science students in its 2026 Persistence and Retention Report — which reports on the percentage of students that return to college for their second semester and the next fall.

This year’s report, published in June, looked at students who entered college in the fall of 2024. Among bachelor’s degree students in the top ten major fields, those in Engineering programs persisted into a second fall of study at the highest rate (93.1%), while those in Computer Science persisted at the lowest rate (85.0%). This represents a second consecutive year of declines in second fall persistence for Computer Science bachelor’s seekers (-1.3 percentage points compared to the fall 2022 entering cohort).

Looking Ahead

Future reports from the National Student Clearinghouse will continue to monitor enrollment trends across majors and provide insight into whether the enrollment declines reported in Computer Science indicate a long-term shift in student program choices.

“These fall enrollment trends continued into spring 2026, as more students enrolled in undergraduate programs, so Computer Science stands out for its enrollment declines. Fewer students are choosing to enroll in nearly all of the most popular major groups within Computer and Information Sciences.”

Matthew Holsapple
Senior Director of Research, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center