Computer science graduates face a tougher entry-level market as software job postings fall and employers seek people able to manage AI tools. Tulane graduate Jack Zemke found work at an engineering firm after presenting an AI project, then joined an AI startup this summer.
An Associated Press analysis put unemployment among recent computer science and computer engineering graduates at about 7.1%. Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab found that employment for workers in their early 20s in AI-exposed occupations, including software development, was 19% below where it would have been had it tracked less AI-exposed fields. After computer science and computer engineering graduates tripled to about 362,000 in 2024, computer and information science enrollment at four-year institutions fell 8.4% by spring this year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
International graduates face added obstacles: Samir Khuller, Northwestern’s computer science chair, said many smaller hiring firms lack HR experience with H-1B sponsorship. Kenyan graduate Collins Kibet said interviewers went quiet when they learned he needed sponsorship; after failing to find work, he started a software company. The Trump administration is seeking to raise H-1B visa fees to more than $100,000. Colleges are also tailoring training to employers: Georgia Tech trained students for a month before AT&T internships and plans to expand the program.
