AI Revolution Hits Universities as Enrollment Surges Nationwide

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the most sought-after college major in the United States, prompting universities to accelerate the launch of AI-focused programs to meet a surge in student interest and industry demand.

This semester alone, the University of South Florida in Tampa saw over 3,000 students enroll in its newly created College of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. At the University of California, San Diego, 150 first-year students signed up for its brand-new AI major. The State University of New York at Buffalo has gone a step further, establishing a stand-alone Department of AI and Society, which will offer interdisciplinary degrees such as AI and Policy Analysis.

The explosion of interest follows the mainstream adoption of AI tools like ChatGPT and rising valuations of AI-driven companies such as Nvidia. Tech giants including Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have collectively invested billions into AI development and this year, both Google and Microsoft announced new programs aimed at training millions of students and workers in AI skills.

Over the past two years, dozens of American universities have rolled out new AI departments, majors, minors, and cross-disciplinary programs to keep up with this momentum. One of the early movers, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), launched a major in “AI and Decision-Making” in 2022. Enrollment has soared, with nearly 330 students in the program this year making it the second-largest major at MIT after computer science.

According to Asu Ozdaglar, deputy dean of academics at MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing, students drawn to data-driven problem-solving naturally gravitate toward AI. She noted a growing trend: students in fields like biology and healthcare increasingly view AI expertise as essential to their future careers.

For many students, the attraction is both practical and aspirational. Leena Banga, a first-year student from Fremont, California, became fascinated with AI after experimenting with chatbots. She later attended an AI summer program at the University of Pennsylvania, which cemented her decision to pursue the new AI major at UC San Diego. She believes the specialization will offer broader career opportunities as AI reshapes industries.

With AI skills becoming central to jobs across technology, healthcare, finance, policy, and engineering, universities expect demand for such programs to intensify in the coming years signaling a fundamental shift in how the next generation is preparing for the future of work.