Survey finds that 'almost all' college students use generative AI sends shock waves through education



On February 26, 2025, the UK think tank Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) released a report stating that more than nine in 10 UK undergraduate students are using AI in some form, a significant increase from the previous survey, which showed two-thirds. Experts say that such a sudden change in student behavior is unprecedented.

Student Generative AI Survey 2025 - HEPI

https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/02/26/student-generative-ai-survey-2025/

Surge in UK university students using AI to complete work
https://www.ft.com/content/d591fb1a-9f6c-4345-b5fc-781e091ae3f8

For its Student Generative AI Survey 2025, released on February 26, 2025, HEPI surveyed 1,041 full-time undergraduate students who responded to the previous survey in February 2024 about the use of generative AI tools through market research consultancy Savanta.

The results showed that the percentage of students using AI in some form jumped from 66% in 2024 to 92% in just one year. Additionally, the number of students using generative AI when being graded on exams, assignments, papers, etc. increased from 53% the previous year to 88%.

When asked how they would use generative AI, the responses (see figure below) were mainly auxiliary, such as explaining concepts, summarizing papers, and proposing research ideas, but a significant proportion of students (18%; see the red box in the figure below) said they would use the text generated by the AI directly in their own work.



Josh Freeman, policy manager at HEPI, said: 'Such a sudden change in student behaviour is almost unheard of. This is an urgent lesson for education institutions. All assessment methods will need to be reconsidered to see if they can be easily overridden by AI. This will require a bold re-training of faculty about the power and potential of generative AI.' He suggested that universities will be forced to fundamentally change the way they assess students.

The survey also highlights persistent 'digital divides' when it comes to the use of generative AI, with wealthier students more likely to use it than poorer students, and male students more likely to use it frequently than female students.

While only 29% of humanities students felt that AI-generated content would help them do better in their subjects, nearly half (45%) of students pursuing science, engineering or medical degrees said the same.

In the survey, undergraduate students cited 'saving time' (top row in the chart below) as the main reason for using AI in their studies. A similar percentage of students also said they use AI to 'improve the quality of their work' (second row from the top in the chart below), and a significant number of students also said they use AI to 'receive instant support' (third row in the chart below).



Universities are also making progress with AI, with the percentage of students who said that 'staff are well prepared to support the use of AI' doubling in one year from 18% to 42%, but many students still complain that the rules around AI use are not clear.

'It's all still very murky and it's unclear when and why we can use AI,' one student told the survey, while another said, 'The university is skirting the issue. AI isn't banned, but it's not encouraged either. If we use AI it would be academic misconduct, yet lecturers tell us they are using AI. It's a very conflicting message.'

In the UK, Science and Technology Minister Peter Kyle caused controversy in a January 2025 interview when he answered the question, 'Would children be allowed to use ChatGPT to do their homework?' with, 'Yes, as long as they are supervised.' The Financial Times, a UK economic newspaper, suggests that the impact of this survey on the UK education sector will be significant.



Janice Kaye, director of higher education consultancy Higher Futures and author of the report's foreword, told the Financial Times: 'While there is little evidence that AI tools are being used to cheat or game the system, there are many signs that they pose serious challenges for learners, teachers and institutions that higher education needs to address through innovation.'

in Software, Posted by log1l_ks