AI upends colleges: Ivy commits $30M to improve student career chances

College administrators are racing to shore up students’ career prospects as artificial intelligence reshapes hiring and entry-level work. New campus programs and fresh funding aim to give undergraduates real-world experience that recruiters still value — and to blunt growing doubts about higher education’s payoff.

Dartmouth recently created a $30 million endowment to expand student access to internships, offering up to $6,500 per term to cover unpaid or low-paid placements. The move is part of a broader shift on campuses trying to link classroom learning with on-the-job experience.

Campus responses

Across the country, universities are adding more structured work opportunities and career advising. The City University of New York announced a systemwide push to embed career-connected advising, paid internships and apprenticeships across majors for its roughly 180,000 undergraduates, stressing that degrees alone aren’t enough without experience and employer connections.

College leaders say these measures are meant to make students more adaptable as employers alter hiring criteria in response to automation and generative AI tools. The intent is practical: employers tend to hire candidates who can demonstrate workplace competence, not just academic credentials.

Still, institutions face pressure to act quickly. “Higher education has to move nimbly,” one campus career director told students, arguing that proactive support is essential given the shifting labor market.

Why students are unsettled

Recent polling shows tangible anxiety: in an April survey of about 3,600 people — including nearly 800 U.S. students — roughly 36% said they’d considered switching their target industry and 49% were rethinking which skills to develop. Education consultants expect those numbers to climb as students weigh long-term employability against rapid technological change.

• Major funding moves: Dartmouth’s $30 million endowed fund to subsidize internships (up to $6,500 per term).
• Systemwide reforms: CUNY integrating paid internships, apprenticeships and career advising across disciplines for 180,000 students.
• Student sentiment: Survey data shows many undergraduates are reconsidering industries and skill sets because of AI.

Which roles are most exposed?

Research points to uneven effects across the economy. Reports from job sites and academic centers highlight that roles in certain sectors are more vulnerable to automation and generative AI.

Technology and finance are frequently singled out: analytic and routine tasks in those fields can be augmented or replaced by AI systems, according to a 2025 analysis from Indeed. Early-career positions in software development and customer support have already shown employment declines in some studies, and a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas review of government data found notable drops in jobs in the most AI-exposed occupations.

That said, economists who study the labor market caution the overall hit to entry-level roles has been limited so far; the effects are concentrated and evolving rather than uniform and sweeping.

What this means for students and colleges

For students, the practical takeaway is to prioritize hands-on experience and adaptable skills — from collaborative problem solving to industry-specific tools — that employers can verify. For colleges, the challenge is to scale meaningful workplace learning so graduates leave with both credentials and demonstrable experience.

Universities that expand paid internships, formal apprenticeships and employer partnerships will likely give their graduates a clearer path into the job market while addressing immediate student concerns about career risk.

As institutions redesign advising and curricular options, the stakes are simple: students want degrees that lead to work, and colleges are under increasing pressure to prove they can deliver.