UK Universities Grapple with Surge in AI Use Among Students

Surge in UK university students using AI to complete work

The number of UK undergraduate students using artificial intelligence to help them complete their studies has surged over the past 12 months, raising questions about how universities assess their work. More than nine out of 10 students are now using AI in some form, compared with two-thirds a year ago, according to a survey published by the Higher Education Policy Institute think-tank on Wednesday. Experts warned that the sheer speed of take-up of AI among undergraduates required universities to rapidly develop policies to give students clarity on acceptable uses of the technology. Josh Freeman, policy manager at HEPI, said it was "almost unheard of" to see such rapid changes in student behaviour and that it would force a radical change of approach in the way universities assessed students. "There are urgent lessons here for institutions. Every assessment must be reviewed in case it can be completed easily using AI. That will require bold retraining initiatives for staff in the power and potential of generative AI," he added. The findings come a month after science secretary Peter Kyle provoked controversy by saying that it was acceptable for school children to use AI to complete their homework "with supervision and [when] used in the right way". The findings on the use of generative AI tools were based on polling of a representative sample of 1,041 full-time undergraduate students in the UK by Savanta. It found that 88 per cent of students said they had used generative AI such as ChatGPT for assessments, up from 53 per cent in 2024, with students studying science subjects more likely to use the technology than their peers studying social sciences and humanities. Only 29 per cent of humanities students felt that AI generated content "would get a good grade in my subject", compared with 45 per cent of students studying for science, engineering or medical-related degrees. The biggest two reasons students gave for using AI were "saving time" and "improving the quality of my work", with half citing this as the reason they were most likely to make use of AI tools. The proportion of students that considered it acceptable to include AI text in assignments after editing had grown from 17 per cent to 25 per cent over the past year, but only 6 per cent thought using AI-generated content without editing was acceptable. The report also identified what it called "persistent digital divides" in AI competency, with men more likely than women to be frequent users, alongside students from wealthier backgrounds. Nearly half of students said they had already used AI at school. Although the proportion of students saying staff at universities were "well equipped" to support their use of AI had doubled over the year, from 18 to 42 per cent, many students still said they lacked clarity about rules for AI usage. "It's still all very vague and up in the air if/when it can be used and why," one student said. "They dance around the subject. It's not banned but not advised, it's academic misconduct if you use it but lecturers tell us they use it. Very mixed messages," added another. Janice Kay, director of Higher Futures, a higher education consultancy, who wrote the foreword to the HEPI report, said that while it was a "positive sign overall" that students were learning to use AI, it also pointed to coming challenges. "There is little evidence here that AI tools are being misused to cheat and play the system. [But] there are quite a lot of signs that will pose serious challenges for learners, teachers and institutions and these will need to be addressed as higher education transforms," she added.

UK universities warned to 'stress-test' assessments as 92% of students use AI

Survey of 1,000 students shows 'explosive increase' in use of generative AI in particular over past 12 months British universities have been warned to "stress-test" all assessments after new research revealed "almost all" undergraduates are using generative artificial intelligence (genAI) in their studies. A survey of 1,000 students - both domestic and international - found there had been an "explosive increase" in the use of genAI in the past 12 months. Almost nine out of 10 (88%) in the 2025 poll said they used tools such as ChatGPT for their assessments, up from 53% last year. The proportion using any AI tool surged from 66% in 2024 to 92% in 2025, meaning just 8% of students are not using AI, according to a report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute and Kortext, a digital etextbook provider. Josh Freeman, the report's author, said such dramatic changes in behaviour in just 12 months were almost unheard of, and warned: "Universities should take heed: generative AI is here to stay. "There are urgent lessons here for institutions," Freeman said. "Every assessment must be reviewed in case it can be completed easily using AI. That will require bold retraining initiatives for staff in the power and potential of generative AI. "Institutions will not solve any of these problems alone and should seek to share best practice with each other. Ultimately, AI tools should be harnessed to advance learning rather than inhibit it." Students say they use genAI to explain concepts, summarise articles and suggest research ideas, but almost one in five (18%) admitted to including AI-generated text directly in their work. "When asked why they use AI, students most often find it saves them time (51%) and improves the quality of their work (50%)," the report said. "The main factors putting them off using AI are the risk of being accused of academic misconduct and the fear of getting false or biased results." One student told researchers: "I enjoy working with AI as it makes life easier when doing assignments; however, I do get scared I'll get caught." Women are more worried about these factors than men, who show greater enthusiasm for AI, as do wealthier students and those on science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) courses. According to the report, half of students from the most privileged backgrounds used genAI to summarise articles, compared with 44% from the least privileged backgrounds. "The digital divide we identified in 2024 appears to have widened," the report concluded. Students generally believe their universities have responded effectively to concerns over academic integrity, with 80% saying their institution's policy is "clear" and 76% believe their institution would spot the use of AI in assessments. Only a third (36%) of students have received training in AI skills from their university. "They dance around the subject," said one student. "It's not banned but not advised, it's academic misconduct if you use it, but lecturers tell us they use it. Very mixed messages." Dr Thomas Lancaster, a computer scientist at Imperial College London who researches academic integrity, said: "Students who aren't using generative AI tools are now a tiny minority. "I know some students are resistant to AI, and I can understand the ethical concerns, but they're really putting themselves at quite a competitive disadvantage, both in education, and in showing themselves as ready for future careers." A spokesperson for Universities UK said: "To effectively educate the workforce of tomorrow, universities must increasingly equip students to work in a world that will be shaped by AI, and it's clear progress is being made. "But they need to balance this with the challenges posed by a rapidly developing technology. This survey shows that universities and students are alive to the potential risks posed by AI tools in the context of exams and assessment. "All have codes of conduct that include severe penalties for students found to be submitting work that is not their own and they engage students from day-one on the implications of cheating."