UK regulator says AI is making university assessments harder to trust

Students are using artificial intelligence to complete some university assessments in minutes, sometimes achieving high grades without demonstrating their own knowledge, the higher education regulator in England has warned.

The Office for Students (OfS) said a significant proportion of university assessments remain unsupervised and can be completed to a high standard using AI tools. It warned that this could undermine the credibility of degrees and make it harder for universities to establish what students have actually learnt. The findings have renewed pressure on universities to rethink traditional coursework and online examinations.

AI can complete university assessments in minutes

The warning comes from research conducted by the OfS and Advance HE, based on the views of 244 higher education staff and 91 students from at least 127 universities. The research found that many assessments take place in formats where students can access AI tools without supervision. In some cases, students were reportedly completing entire assessments within minutes using AI and receiving grades similar to those achieved by students who completed the work themselves. The report also said AI-generated work could frequently be used in ways that staff could not reliably detect. This creates a challenge for universities: a high-quality submission may no longer prove that a student has understood the subject.

UK regulator calls for more AI-free exams

The OfS identified closed-book examinations and practical assessments as among the most effective ways to test students without AI assistance. Josh Fleming, the regulator's director of strategy and delivery, said universities should make far greater use of AI-free assessments. He warned that the technology presented a generational risk to higher education by threatening both student learning and universities' ability to assess academic performance. The report also called for urgent action to ensure remote and non-secure assessments remain valid. It said assessments should be replaced if students can complete them using AI without demonstrating the knowledge and skills being tested.

Universities are changing how students are assessed

Universities UK said many institutions had already made substantial changes, including more in-person examinations, presentations, oral assessments known as vivas and coursework that examines the process behind a student's work. However, the National Union of Students argued that AI had exposed weaknesses in traditional methods such as essays, handouts and slideshows. The debate is also becoming important for university funding. Under proposals being consulted on, institutions failing to meet quality standards could face restrictions on raising tuition fees or limits on student numbers.

What does this mean for students?

The regulator's warning does not mean all AI use in education is prohibited. The research highlights the need for clearer rules on when students can use AI and when they must demonstrate their own abilities. For universities, the challenge is to protect academic standards while preparing students for workplaces where AI tools are increasingly common. The future of university assessment may depend less on banning AI and more on finding reliable ways to measure what students can genuinely do.