77% of Students are Using AI, with the Majority Stressed About AI Usage, Accelerating Demands for Approved AI in Universities
TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2025 /CNW/ - The latest 2025 Canadian Student Wellbeing Survey, carried out by YouGov for Studiosity, indicates that students are increasingly turning to AI tools to manage academic stress and enhance their learning. With 77% of students using AI tools to help with assignments and studying, and 74% of those students feeling stressed about using those AI tools, there's an accelerated student demand for approved tools that protect, not erode, wellbeing.
Students who are stressed more frequently (everyday) use AI more often to help with their assignments and studies. Male students led the way with 84% using AI tools as part of academic workload, and 52% of Canadian students believe that their institution is not adapting fast enough to include AI support tools.
"It feels as if you're doing something wrong and I never know what I'll get flagged for. Even if it's simply being used to explain a topic," said one student in Ontario reflecting on their stress.
"I never know if the info is accurate and there are a lot of mistakes," said a student in Alberta.
"Students are of course using AI to alleviate the pressures of coursework," notes Dr. Noreen Golfman, former Provost and VP Academics at Memorial University and Academic Advisory Board Member with Studiosity. "Having institution-approved tools means that the support received aligns with educational standards. It's critical that students are provided resources that are not only proven effective, but also ethical and work within academic policies."
Cognitive offloading is a top concern of academics and institutional leadership 2025, and for good reason - the majority (65%) of students say they are moderately or less confident that they are learning and improving their skills while using AI. In a change from 2024 data, more students cited 'Confidence' as the reason for using their university's provided AI tools, overtaking 'Speed' which was the main reason last year.
Students who use AI tools regularly to help with assignments or study tasks are more likely to rank "Fear of failing" among their top 3 stressors. This trend was visible when comparing AI usage to student grades, too - the lower the grade, the more likely the student was to try AI tools.
"The priority is to equip students with the right AI tools that foster learning and growth while ensuring ethical - secure - use," states Chris Helsby, GM and VP of Studiosity Canada. "We are already seeing institutions across Canada implementing AI support tools for their students, providing them with equitable access to the 24/7 support they need."
About the Survey
This press release is based on an online survey conducted by the global polling organization YouGov. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov PLC. The survey was carried out online. Studiosity produced the questions for this survey with advice from YouGov to ensure robust data collection. YouGov gathered the responses from students in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates via an online survey. The survey ran from November 18 to December 12, 2024 and gained 10,223 responses, of which 1,042 were in Canada, with 101 Canadian post-secondary institutions represented.
About Studiosity
Studiosity delivers ethical and formative feedback at scale to over 250 institutions worldwide. With our customized AI-powered, learner-centric 'Plus' service, all students can benefit from formative feedback in minutes. From their first draft to just before submission, students receive personalized feedback - including guidance on how they can demonstrably improve their own work and critical thinking skills. Actionable insight is accessible to faculty and leaders, revealing the scale of engagement with support, cohorts requiring intervention, and measurable learning progress. Together, we can increase life chances for every student.
SOURCE Studiosity
For media inquiries, please contact: Alicia Chin, Marketing Manager, Studiosity Canada, [email protected]
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