Half of Students Say AI Is Most Important Skill They’ll Learn in College

Half of students pursuing higher education in the United States said that mastering artificial intelligence (AI) is the most important skill they expect to acquire during their college years, according to a new Grammarly survey.

The survey of 2,000 students enrolled in degree programs in U.S. colleges highlighted the rapid adoption of AI technology on campuses and its perceived necessity for future success.

Why It Matters

AI has quickly shifted from a theoretical concept to a foundational aspect of education and workforce readiness.

The trend comes amid debate among educators and policymakers over how best to integrate AI into academic environments. Advocates for AI education argue that such skills are vital for navigating an increasingly automated world, while critics point to challenges like academic honesty, privacy and the need to balance digital tools with human interaction.

What To Know

Roughly 62 percent of students see responsible AI use as essential for their future careers, according to the Grammarly report, indicating that AI literacy is emerging as a core component of higher education’s value proposition.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents reported that their schools have established AI usage policies, reflecting how students and institutions are adapting to new realities brought about by rapid technological change.

The survey, which was conducted by Grammarly and Talker Research based on responses from 2,000 college students from July 1-9, showed that the vast majority of college students are already using AI in their academic lives.

While 87 percent of participants said they already use AI for academic purposes, averaging five hours per week, 90 percent use AI tools for non-academic life activities.

“Most products like ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini have a free offering and low barriers to use, encouraging exploration,” Darren Kimura, CEO of AI Squared, told Newsweek.

“Additionally, the capability that AI can produce today like coding tasks, writing or collaboration, align closely with the work of mid‑wage technical and creative professionals, increasing its use in the workplace.”

Despite widespread AI usage, 55 percent of students reported feeling they navigate AI without sufficient guidance. Nearly half (46 percent) expressed concern about possible repercussions for improper use, with 10 percent indicating they had experienced issues related to AI use at school.

Students used AI for a variety of academic needs, including brainstorming ideas (49 percent), grammar and spelling checks (42 percent) and understanding difficult concepts (41 percent). Others leveraged AI for tasks they might be embarrassed to discuss in person (29 percent) or for life advice (25 percent).

Institutional responses to AI use varied widely.

Of schools with policies in place, 30 percent permitted AI use for specified assignments, 31 percent allowed general use with proper citation, and 32 percent banned AI outright. Despite the rules and 69 percent of students saying professors discussed them, only 11 percent of students reported being encouraged to use AI in their studies.

A different 2024 Global AI Student Survey by the Digital Education Council found that 86 percent of international university students use AI in their studies, with ChatGPT, Grammarly and Microsoft Copilot listed among the most frequently used tools.

However, workforce experts caution against AI misuse for the next generation of workers.

“AI can be a powerful tool, a supplement to the existing workforce. But only if it’s paired with human judgment, ethics and a worker-focused lens,” HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek. “The real skill isn’t just AI anywhere and everywhere. It’s knowing when AI isn’t the right fit.”

What People Are Saying

Darren Kimura, CEO of AI Squared, told Newsweek: “AI today is really about task augmentation but not full automation, meaning that it increases the productivity of humans without yet removing them from the equation.”

HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “AI is changing lots of things and helping put some things in perspective. It’s also changing the workplace faster than colleges can keep up. But the danger is treating AI like a magic bullet. If we keep funneling students into tech skills without teaching them how to think critically, collaborate and advocate for themselves in a workforce increasingly run by algorithms, we’re setting them up to be overworked, replaceable and underpaid.”

What Happens Next

As AI continues to proliferate across campuses, academic institutions face pressure to formalize guidance, enhance faculty and student training, and update curricula to reflect the technology’s evolving role.

“There will likely be a major workforce reskilling as AI will replace entry level jobs. I predict a boon for community colleges and universities as workers look to reskill,” Kimura said. “Managers must learn how to manage AI workers as they once used to have to manage human workers.”