Students worry AI is reshaping degree value & careers

HelloCollege has released survey findings showing AI is changing how college students plan their careers and view the value of a degree. The data also shows widespread use of AI in coursework among current students.

The national college counselling firm found that 66% of students surveyed were more concerned about their future career because of AI, while 50% said the technology had changed how they understood the value of a college degree. It also found that 37% were shifting their career plans because of AI and 82% were using it in their coursework.

The figures suggest a broader shift in student behaviour than the classroom debates over cheating and academic policy that have dominated much of the public discussion. Students are using AI in day-to-day academic work while also reassessing majors, career paths and the likely return on investment from higher education.

HelloCollege, which advises students and families on admissions and career planning, said the responses suggest AI is shaping decisions before graduation rather than only after students enter the workforce.

Career concerns also appear to be tied to wider doubts about the social and economic effects of the technology. The survey found that 58% of college students believed AI was not a net good for society.

The biggest concerns identified by students were mass layoffs, difficulty telling truth from fiction, data privacy, learning loss and mass surveillance. Even so, some respondents pointed to perceived benefits. A quarter of students said their biggest hope for AI was better working conditions through automation, followed by more free time and new fields of employment.

That mix of anxiety and optimism suggests students are not rejecting AI outright. Instead, many appear to be working out how the technology will alter both the labour market and the practical value of a university education.

For higher education, the findings add to a growing debate over whether students will increasingly judge courses and majors through the lens of exposure to automation. Areas once seen as straightforward professional routes may now face more scrutiny from students worried about long-term job security.

At the same time, the high level of coursework use indicates that AI tools have already become a routine part of study for many undergraduates. That creates tension for universities and advisers as they respond to both the academic and career implications of the technology.

The survey was conducted by HelloCollege, founded by Kevin Krebs in 2012. The business says it has worked with thousands of students and families, giving it a view into how admissions and career choices are shifting as AI becomes more common in education and work.

Krebs said the findings reflected questions students were already asking about their place in an AI-shaped economy. "AI is not some far-off thing for students," said Kevin Krebs, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HelloCollege. "It is already part of how they study, how they search for colleges and how they think about what comes after graduation. What this survey shows is that students see the value in AI, but they are also getting nervous about where they fit in. They are asking real questions about which majors still make sense, which careers feel safer and whether a college degree is going to give them the kind of return they expected in a job market that is changing fast."