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arXiv · 2508.00717

Generative AI in Higher Education: Evidence from an Elite College

Zara Contractor·Germán Reyes
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Abstract

Generative AI is transforming higher education, yet systematic evidence on student adoption, usage patterns, and perceived learning impacts remains scarce. Using survey data from a selective U.S. college, we document rapid generative-AI adoption, reaching over 80 percent within two years of ChatGPT's release. Adoption varies sharply across disciplines, demographics, and achievement levels. Students use AI both to augment their learning -- by obtaining explanations and feedback -- and to automate coursework by generating final outputs, with augmentation more common than automation. Students generally perceive AI as benefiting their learning, and these beliefs are strongly correlated with adoption. Institutional policies shape usage but have uneven effects, in part because awareness and compliance vary across student groups. These findings suggest that effective AI policies must distinguish between uses that enhance learning and those that substitute for it.

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Zara Contractor, Germán Reyes. 2026-04-15. Generative AI in Higher Education: Evidence from an Elite College. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.00717

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