Generative AI in Higher Education: Evidence from an Elite College

Zara Contractor and Germán Reyes
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Zara Contractor: Middlebury College
Germán Reyes: Middlebury College and IZA

CEDLAS, Working Papers from CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata

Abstract: Generative AI is transforming higher education, yet systematic evidence on student adoption remains limited. Using novel survey data from a selective U.S. college, we document over 80 percent of students using AI academically within two years of ChatGPT’s release. Adoption varies across disciplines, demographics, and achievement levels, highlighting AI’s potential to reshape educational inequalities. Students predominantly use AI for augmenting learning (e.g., explanations, feedback), but also to automate tasks (e.g., essay generation). Positive perceptions of AI’s educational benefits strongly predict adoption. Institutional policies can influence usage patterns but risk creating unintended disparate impacts across student groups due to uneven compliance.

JEL-codes: I21 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 82 pages
Date: 2025-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-lam
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