6 in 10 Online Students Report Using AI, Survey Finds
Credit: SOPA Images / Contributor / LightRocket / Getty Images- In BestColleges’ 2025 Online Education Trends Report, 60% of college students reported using AI, up from 58% in 2024.
- Less than half of college students (47%) say they would trust colleges to use AI in the admissions process.
- Only 44% of students say instructors generally allow the use of AI to complete assignments or exams.
- College students cite personalized assessments, AI tutors, and custom curriculum as ways they’d like to see AI used in higher education.
A new BestColleges survey finds that online college students continue to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), but they have doubts about how universities should use the technology.
Of 1,000 online students surveyed as part of the BestColleges 2025 Online Education Trends Report, 60% report using AI tools like ChatGPT to complete assignments or exams.
That’s up from 58% last year and builds on a growing trend of students using AI in higher education.
Whether using AI on assignments is allowed is another question. Only 44% agree that their schools or professors “generally allow” the use of AI for assignments and exams.
Still, the embrace of AI continues to grow.
Universities have invested heavily in AI over the past year, including infusing their core curricula with AI and rolling out degrees focused on the technology. Employers have also indicated in multiple surveys that AI skills will be important for new college graduates.
In fact, more than 70% of respondents in the BestColleges survey say that AI is a beneficial innovation — but more than half also indicate that AI might pose a threat to student and faculty data privacy and security.
The small group of college administrators surveyed as part of the report largely viewed AI as a beneficial technology for online education.
Those 53 administrators who responded to the survey’s AI questionnaire largely view it in a positive light, although they also acknowledge privacy risks around the technology.
These new findings stand in contrast to students’ earlier feelings about AI and showcase a changing higher education landscape.
A previous BestColleges survey found that a majority of students said using AI to write papers and take exams would diminish the value of a degree.
Online Students Are Skeptical About Universities Using AI
While online students might embrace AI, they still have doubts about how universities should use the technology — particularly when it comes to admissions.
A growing number of colleges report plans to use AI in admissions, but most students are still against that use case. Just 47% of students indicate they would trust colleges to process and sort through the admissions process.
While less than half of students say they would trust colleges to use AI admissions, that’s still a big gain year over year. In 2024, that figure was just 39%.
It isn’t just colleges using AI for admissions. Organizations like the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) have rolled out AI tools to help students in their college search.
How Online Students Want to See AI Used
When asked what AI features would improve their online learning experiences, students have no clear favorite option.
Personalized AI tools, AI tutors, automated feedback, and personalized curriculum all have support from more than 30% of current students and graduates.
Real-time language translation was another popular option, highlighted by 29% of current students and 32% of graduates.
Methodology
Two online surveys were conducted between February and April of 2025. The first survey was fielded by Pure Spectrum in partnership with GLG Research and collected data from 1,000 students, including currently enrolled, graduates, and prospective students.
BestColleges’ outreach team fielded the second survey via Qualtrics and collected feedback from school administrators. A screening question was used to include only administrators working at institutions that offer online courses and programs. A total of 74 administrators representing two- and four-year schools responded.