Higher education professionals and ed tech companies are increasingly embracing AI, and it's frequently baked into apps.
Smartphones have revolutionized the way students navigate college life and learning, and mobile apps now help them with time management, organization, homework, collaboration and more.
Artificial intelligence tools like Microsoft Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT have also changed the college landscape in recent years, experts say.
While ChatGPT has been controversial - given its ability to write essays and code, solve equations and produce graphic design - higher education professionals and ed tech companies are increasingly embracing AI. And it's frequently baked into apps.
It's important to teach students how to use AI tools effectively, because they'll be expected to master more of them in their professional lives, says Diane Gayeski, a professor of strategic communication at Ithaca College in New York.
"Nobody would stand for people doing arithmetic with a pencil and pen," she says. "They're expected to do more, faster - and part of that is using AI in the same way that they would search the web or use a library's online search."
To see if an app is worth it, experts recommend checking reviews and download numbers, and asking classmates and instructors about their experiences. But individual needs vary, so it's useful to start by asking, "What do I need the most help with?"
The following apps can be useful for college students, and some are free.
AnkiMobile, the No. 1 paid education app on the Apple App Store, helps you create your own flashcards for memorization and study. You can build cards with images, audio and "fill in the blank" assessments; download premade decks or your friends' flashcards; and schedule the repetition of your cards to meet learning needs or an exam date. It's available only for iPad and iPhone users for a one-time $24.99 fee in the App Store.
A mobile version of the learning management system used at many U.S. colleges, the Blackboard App lets you access coursework for online classes or in-person classes with virtual components. You can view course content, complete assignments and tests, view grades and more. Blackboard can also help you navigate degree planning and financial aid.
This graphic design app lets you create flyers, posters, videos, logos, presentations and other artwork from scratch or a template. You can also design and publish websites, which Gayeski says is one reason she added it to required apps for her classes. Canva has many free features, but some designs and templates are available only with Canva Teams or Canva Pro, which can cost over $100 per person for an annual subscription. However, Canva for Education gives students free access to premium features, including templates, images and graphics.
Similar to Blackboard, with Canvas Student you can access coursework, submit assignments, communicate across groups and view grades. Which app to download - Blackboard or Canvas - depends on which platform your college uses.
The No. 1 free education app on the Apple App Store, Duolingo bills itself as "the world's best way to learn a language." The app offers lessons in 40-plus languages, helping users with speaking, reading, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. The paid version is ad-free and gives offline access to lessons. Duolingo also offers a test to demonstrate English proficiency that is accepted at some U.S. colleges.
A note-taking and task-management system that can sync across devices, Evernote allows users to create to-do lists, save webpages and digitize documents via a device's camera. Evernote is free, though premium versions with more features start at $10.83 a month or $129.99 a year.
This career networking app - which helps students find jobs and internships, and employers find talent - is different because "all of the jobs on Handshake are meant for students," its website says. The app offers personalized job recommendations based on your profile, which details your education, skills and job interests. You can apply within the app, receive messages from employers, and see and contact other students who have worked for the companies that interest you.
"Handshake's main purpose was to be a job board for students," says Ro W. Lee, associate director for career and professional development at Claremont Graduate University in California, but it also lets students view employer and school events and make appointments. Nearly 1 million companies use the app to find talent, including Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies, according to Handshake's website.
This free app can be used to create and share calendars, plan events, build daily agendas, share task lists, set reminders and block off focus time.
Another classic, Google Drive is handy for writing that term paper across devices or collaborating with classmates. With free Google Cloud storage, this free app lets you organize and edit your files in one place; save attachments and scan documents; customize who can view, edit and comment on each document; annotate PDFs; and use AI-powered search.
This free app helps make checklists and reminders, track deadlines, make and automatically transcribe voice memos, and share lists and photos. "I have a ton of stuff in there, but it's nice and organized and serves as a good reminder for stuff I've been meaning to get done," says Sadie Horowitz, a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley.
This free Google-based app lets you upload videos, images, lectures, course materials and PDFs to generate an audio podcast that summarizes and explains the content. Select whether you want one or more voices, and the final result will sound similar to a National Public Radio podcast, Gayeski says.
"It's really interesting to a lot of learners who can grasp things better if they listen to it," she says. NotebookLM Plus is available for businesses, organizations, schools and universities through GoogleOne AI Premium for $19.99 per month.
Scan any math problem with this free app to get step-by-step explanations and solutions. "Math is about the process, so Photomath breaks your problem into bite-sized steps to help you understand the 'what' and 'why' along with the 'how,'" the app's description reads.
Another flashcard app, Quizlet lets you create your own decks, share them with other users and play timed games to help with memorization. Quizlet is free but Quizlet Plus, ad-free with offline access, costs $35.99 a year.
This AI-powered research app helps you evaluate the quality of academic articles and find articles with differing viewpoints on a topic. After a free seven-day trial, plans are $20 a month or $144 a year.
"I think the general public thinks students are going to just be using AI to write their papers surreptitiously and correct their grammar, where in fact a lot of it is to gain broader understandings of different perspectives," Gayeski says. "That's something AI can do so well, because it's literally built on the ideas of tens of thousands of people."
