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
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/18/business/ai-college-debt-parents
Publish Date: 2026-04-18 07:00:00
Source Domain: www.cnn.com
-
Changing Job Market Impact: The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping expectations for entry-level jobs and making it harder for families to predict how a degree will translate into stable employment, influencing parents’ decisions on which majors are valuable.
-
Cost of Education: Tuition and fees continue to rise, with a 3.4% increase for public four-year out-of-state institutions and a 4% increase for private nonprofit colleges for the 2025-2026 school year, raising concerns about affordability and debt.
-
Influence of AI on Degree Value: Traditional “golden ticket” majors like computer science may lose value in a tech industry reshaped by AI. The uncertainty of which majors will still provide a “good return” on investment leaves parents in a state of confusion about guiding their children’s career paths.
-
Concerns Over Student Debt: Average student loan debt at graduation has increased significantly, leading parents to set firm limits on their contributions to avoid students taking on too much debt. Experts advise caution with student loan repayments due to less favorable repayment plans.
-
Parents’ Role in Careers Guidance: Many parents are actively guiding their children towards degrees in less AI-affected fields, such as STEM, while nudging them away from majors that might be heavily impacted by AI. Some are advocating for alternatives like trade programs and community college paths that are perceived as being more job secure.
-
Long-term Benefits of a Degree: Despite the uncertainties, experts emphasize the enduring benefits of a degree, such as higher lifetime earnings and resilience in employment during recessionary periods, as they generally enable graduates to earn about 60% more than high school graduates and experience lower unemployment rates.
