A growing trend in American higher education suggests that cheating, particularly facilitated by artificial intelligence, has become increasingly widespread and, in some circles, socially normalized. This shift has prompted concern among educators and administrators at leading universities.

At Brown University, veteran economics professor Roberto Serrano encountered an AI-driven cheating scandal this spring that highlighted the extent of the problem. After allowing students to take their midterm exam remotely with increased difficulty to balance out the unlimited time, the average score soared to 96%, a sharp rise from the historical range of 65% to 80%. Suspecting the use of generative AI, Serrano decided to hold the final exam in person, leading to 18 students dropping the class and nine absenting themselves from the exam. The average final exam score plummeted to 48.6%. Among 59 students who completed both tests, only a few maintained consistent performance, while several who scored perfectly on the midterm failed completely on the final.

Brown’s experience reflects a broader phenomenon across American universities. A recent survey of over 95,000 undergraduates at 20 public research institutions found that 9% admitted to using generative AI for cheating, with the rate increasing to 26% among daily AI users. Amy Clukey, associate professor at the University of Louisville, estimated that over half her students in one online course engaged in AI-assisted plagiarism. Clukey described cheating as a pervasive culture rather than isolated incidents, a sentiment echoed by Amanda Gregg, an associate professor at Middlebury College, who noted a lack of social deterrents against dishonest conduct among students today. Gregg contrasted this with her own student experience, where cheating was met with substantial social sanctions.

Experts argue that the rise of AI-enabled cheating is symptomatic of a deeper cultural transformation in higher education, moving away from traditional principles of honor and integrity toward a “striver culture.” This mindset prioritizes appearance, ambition, and prestige above ethical considerations. Success is measured by association with elite institutions, desirable employment, and high-status social networks, with little regard for the means used to achieve these ends.

At Stanford University, nearly 40% of students now receive disability accommodations such as extended test time and excused absences. According to undergraduate Elsa Johnson, the ease of obtaining such accommodations is an open secret, and students often share strategies about securing them. She suggested that not seeking accommodations might be seen as a lack of effort. Similar increases in accommodation rates have been reported at institutions like the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley.

This expansion in accommodations, some argue, may be contributing to a loosened enforcement environment where academic integrity is compromised. Critics contend that administrative reluctance to rigorously verify disability claims or confront cheating fosters a permissive atmosphere.

The issue extends beyond the mechanics of cheating itself, touching on a moral realignment in student values. Increasingly, the act of cheating and successfully avoiding detection appears to carry a form of social capital, undermining efforts to uphold academic honesty within higher education.