Forbes Names 20 New Ivies Preparing Graduates for AI-Driven Job Market

The job market has been affected by advances in artificial intelligence, with several large employers announcing workforce reductions while increasing investments in the technology. Forbes published its 2026 New Ivies list on April 8, naming 20 colleges—10 private and 10 public—that prepare graduates sought by employers in this environment.

In January, Amazon announced it would cut 16,000 corporate jobs months after reducing staff by 14,000. That same month, UPS said it would shed up to 30,000 white collar positions this year. Last week, Oracle began layoffs estimated at up to 30,000 even as the company invests tens of billions of dollars in artificial intelligence.

Researchers from Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab found that employment of workers aged 22 to 25 in the most AI-vulnerable jobs, such as software engineers and customer service representatives, had dropped 16% through October 2025. Other age groups showed more stability in those roles. S.

workers, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Forbes surveyed more than 100 C-suite and hiring executives to compile the list. Nearly 25% of the executives said artificial intelligence would reduce their need for entry-level college graduates. Sixty percent said it would change their staffing needs.

One executive wrote, “Artificial intelligence has entirely redefined the anatomy of the entry level role. ” Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they are less likely to hire Ivy League graduates than they were five years ago, while 42% said they are more likely to hire graduates of public universities.

U.S. to announce an “AI working competency” as a graduation requirement in December. The university is one of the 10 public institutions named to the list. Magnus Egerstedt, provost of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Forbes that success in the age of AI has more to do with the liberal arts than with traditional high-tech disciplines.

He said the focus should be on creativity, curiosity and problem solving after establishing strong foundations in a subject. Stanford researchers observed in a November paper that while young workers were losing jobs where AI automates tasks, employment was growing in roles where AI augments human work.

The New Ivies have emphasized workforce preparation and lead in AI adoption across disciplines.

C. (8,537, 13%); Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (10,421, 8%); University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana (9,157, 11%); Rice University in Houston, Texas (4,836, 8%); Tufts University in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts (7,715, 11%); Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee (7,285, 6%); and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri (9,064, 12%).

United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado (5,117 undergraduates, 14% acceptance rate); University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida (38,246, 24%); Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia (20,887, 14%); and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan (34,962, 16%).

Median SAT and ACT scores for all listed schools range from 1330 to 1550 and 30 to 35 respectively. Colleges on the list are adapting their programs to develop skills that complement artificial intelligence tools.