It’s time for students to start committing to colleges. The age of AI is making it complicated

It’s time for students to start committing to colleges. The age of AI is making it complicated

As the AI era reshapes the job market, parents and students face growing uncertainty when choosing higher education paths. Mary Akkerman, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, mother, has toured over 30 college campuses with her children—one now at Stanford, the other still in high school. Her primary goal was to ensure they earned degrees that lead to stable careers, but this task has grown more challenging with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and its impact on employment opportunities.

Traditionally, the final deadline for most students to decide on a college was around May 1, known as College Decision Day. However, this year, the process feels more fraught. Parents and students are questioning what constitutes a “good return” for an education in a market that is constantly shifting. Majors once seen as secure, such as computer science, may no longer guarantee the same level of success as AI transforms the tech sector. Yet, it remains unclear which fields will offer the most resilience.

“There is even more confusion now than there ever was,” remarked Brianna Angelucci, a parent and college advisor with the Access to College Experts network. This subscription-based service helps families navigate college preparation, but its guidance is now influenced by the unpredictable role of AI in hiring practices.

According to the College Board, tuition and fees at public four-year out-of-state institutions rose by 3.4% for the 2025–2026 academic year, reaching $31,880 annually. Private nonprofit colleges saw a 4% increase, totaling $45,000 per year before inflation adjustments. Meanwhile, average student loan debt at graduation has surged 41% since 2007, now standing at $39,457, as per the Education Data Initiative.

“You have to be smart about how much student loan debt you’re taking out, especially as repayment plans have become less favorable to borrowers,” said Daniel A. Collier, a professor at the University of Memphis. He stressed the importance of considering long-term benefits, such as higher lifetime earnings and better job security during economic downturns.

Despite these challenges, students with four-year degrees still earn about 60% more than high school graduates and face lower unemployment rates, according to the College Board. However, the value of specific majors can vary significantly, and how AI affects this will depend on how educational institutions adapt to workforce needs.

For many parents, the looming influence of AI is altering their approach to guiding children toward certain careers. “I encourage them to find majors that focus on skills that, I hate to say it, but make money,” shared Lucy Hughes, a North Carolina mother of two high school students preparing for college. She described college as “highway robbery,” noting that worries about AI’s impact have made her more cautious about financing her children’s education.

Hughes said she would be less inclined to support a degree in teaching if her students desired it, recalling her own experience as a teacher. Alternatives like two-year degrees, trade programs, and military service are gaining traction as more “AI-proof” options, according to Akkerman. These paths, she suggested, offer cost-effective routes to careers that may be less vulnerable to automation.