Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly permeated academia. A recent study from EDUCAUSE revealed that institutions are heavily utilizing AI for teaching and learning, particularly in areas like academic integrity (74%), coursework (65%), and curriculum design (54%).  

Use of ChatGPT and other tools is also rising among prospective students, particularly adults. About one-half of adult prospects say they have used AI tools, which is 16% more than last year, according to Eduventures’ Adult Prospect Research™.  

This use is not uniform across all prospects, however, and heavier users may bring certain expectations to the recruiting process. What types of prospective students use these tools and what role do they prefer AI to have in their studies? 

In 2023, our Adult Prospect Research revealed that 32% of adult prospective students had used ChatGPT, with higher usage among graduate prospects (42%) compared to undergraduate prospects (24%). Likewise, the more recent data from 2024 also indicates a difference in usage rates based on educational attainment. Today, about 55% of those with a bachelor's degree or higher have used it, compared to 43% of prospects with less than a bachelor’s degree.  

The overall usage rate increased from 32% in 2023 to 48% in 2024, highlighting rapid adoption. Notably, this percentage is likely higher than the general population. The Federal Reserve of St. Louis found that 39% of the U.S. population aged 18-64 used generative AI.  

Additionally, some groups use it more than others, such as 19 to 24-year-olds (58%) who adopt new technology quickly, and those employed full time (53%). 

AI Usage Prospect Differences 

Our research also suggests that not only do prospective adult learners use AI more than the general population, but those who are most likely to enroll in higher education use it at the highest rates. Figure 1 shows the percentage of adult prospects that have used AI tools like ChatGPT or others in 2024 segmented by gender and likelihood of enrolling.  

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows that about 61% of “committed” prospects—those that “definitely” or “probably” will enroll in the next three years—use AI tools. This percentage is much higher than the average of 48% for all prospects, and higher than both “hesitant” (47%) and “skeptical” (38%) prospects, who are less likely to enroll.  

These “committed” prospects could be showing behavioral tendencies toward curiosity and learning and a future-oriented mindset. Perhaps engaging with AI tools is their natural inclination. 

Figure 1 also shows that 58% of male prospects have used AI tools, compared to 42% of female prospects. This difference might be attributed to the higher likelihood of technology professionals using the tools (74%) compared to healthcare practitioners (35%), which may contribute to the gender disparity. 

As AI becomes more enmeshed in our lives, we expect usage to continue to grow. In higher education, much of the focus is on large language models, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, among others. Some institutions have partnered with OpenAI as they launched ChatGPT Edu, an AI-powered learning assistant for education, which now supports roughly three-quarters of a million students at The University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University, Wharton School, and the California State University system.  

The application of AI in higher education is now the norm—ranging from enrollment management to student support and tutoring to predictive analytics for retention. It can automate tedious tasks and streamline operations, improve efficiency, and enhance the student experience. But how do prospective students react to AI playing a role in their studies? 

AI’s Supporting Role in Higher Education 

Our 2024 Adult Prospect Research included a question regarding prospects’ reactions to AI being involved in various aspects of their studies. 

Figure 2 illustrates both positive and negative attitudes toward various kinds of AI support for students and faculty. Adult prospects were the most favorable toward AI chat support (41% very positive and positive), course recommendations (38%), and tutoring (37%). They least favored AI supporting roles like, “sometimes being taught by AI” (37% very negative and negative), and “some assignments being graded by AI” (37%). 

Figure 2

AI helps with automation; Figure 2 confirms that even prospective students understand this. This population reported being more at ease with AI assisting them in administrative and learning support roles. But as the support shifts and potentially replaces human interaction and judgement—like teaching and assessment—then AI provokes more negative reactions.  

Some of this negativity must be weighed against what is good for students. For example, some AI tools detect plagiarism and AI assistance in writing assignments, which could be seen as “assignments being graded by AI.” 

Notably, Eduventures also examined how exposure to generative AI influenced perceptions about the value of traditional educational pathways in general. In 2023, one-third of ChatGPT users believed AI posed a threat to formal education, which decreased to 21% in 2024. Increased usage has likely contributed to the idea that these are learning tools rather than a replacement for formal education. 

Data like this can help inform conversation about how best to deploy AI-technology tools to support students without causing friction, all while keeping ethical concerns—like data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the risk of AI-driven decisions unintentionally marginalizing some groups—at the forefront of discussions. 

The Bottom Line 

AI—especially generative AI—may be at the “peak of inflated expectations” per the Gartner Technology Hype Cycle. While institutions must be clear-headed in this environment, they must also adapt to this new reality of tailored, on-demand knowledge (one of the many ways AI is being used).  

Many institutions are moving quickly to embrace generative AI. According to EDUCAUSE’s AI Landscape Study, 63% of institutions identified “providing training for faculty to learn new AI technology and skills” as a top priority. This underscores the importance of equipping educators with the expertise necessary to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices. 

At the same time, AI tool adoption among adult learners has grown dramatically between 2023 and 2024, and the implications for institutions are multidimensional:  

• Prospective students are likely shifting toward using AI tools for initial program discovery rather than relying on traditional web searches, posing new challenges for marketing teams.   
• Beyond recruitment, AI-enabled student support tools are proliferating. Institutions need to balance streamlining the student experience with necessary human interaction.  
• Lastly, institutions should consider incorporating AI literacy as a 21st century general education course to ensure students are prepared for an AI-driven workforce when they graduate.   

The question is no longer whether AI will shape the future of higher education, but how effectively institutions can leverage its capabilities.