AI in Education Statistics 2026

AI has become a standard study tool faster than any technology before it. The headline figures below come from two named primary sources — the Digital Education Council's global surveys of students and faculty, and Chegg's Global Student Survey — and each is linked so you can verify it before citing.

How many students actually use AI?

The headline is 86%. The Digital Education Council's Global AI Student Survey found that 86% of students use AI in their studies, 54% use it at least weekly, and roughly one in four use it daily. In other words, AI is no longer an edge case in education — it is part of the routine for most students.

That finding does not stand alone. Chegg's 2025 Global Student Survey, which interviewed more than 11,000 undergraduates across 15 countries, reported that 80% of undergraduates worldwide have used generative AI to support their studies. Two independent surveys pointing to the same scale is strong corroboration. For the wider adoption backdrop, see our AI adoption statistics.

Two surveys, one conclusion: The Digital Education Council (86% of students use AI) and Chegg (80% of undergraduates have used generative AI) measured different populations with different methods and still landed in the same range. That convergence is why these figures are reliable to cite.

What students use AI for

Usage clusters around research, comprehension, and drafting rather than wholesale outsourcing of work. Chegg's survey is revealing here: when students get stuck on a concept or assignment, the largest share now turns to AI first.

• 29% of students turn to generative AI first when stuck — ahead of free online resources, friends, or course materials (Chegg, 2025).
• Accuracy is the top worry: 53% of student AI users were concerned about receiving incorrect or inaccurate information (Chegg, 2025).
• Weekly and daily use are now common, not occasional — 54% weekly, ~1 in 4 daily (Digital Education Council).
• For how AI writing fits into study habits, see our AI writing statistics.

Faculty are adopting too — more cautiously

Students moved first, but faculty are following. The Digital Education Council's Global AI Faculty Survey 2025 found that 61% of faculty have used AI in teaching, and 86% see themselves using AI in teaching in the future. The gap between current use and expected future use signals that adoption among educators still has room to grow.

That said, faculty adoption comes with real reservations. The same survey found 83% of faculty concerned about students' ability to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs, and a large majority felt their institutions had not adequately prepared them to teach with generative AI.

Support lags behind enthusiasm

A recurring theme in the faculty data is missing institutional support: many instructors want clearer policies and training before they lean further into AI. The willingness is there — 86% expect to use it — but the scaffolding around responsible classroom use is still being built.

The numbers side by side

Pulling the figures together makes the student-faculty contrast clear: near-universal student adoption, strong-and-rising faculty adoption, and shared concerns about accuracy and critical thinking.

AI in education at a glance

Indicator	Value	Source
Students using AI in their studies	86%	Digital Education Council
Students using AI weekly	54%	Digital Education Council
Undergraduates who have used generative AI	80%	Chegg 2025
Faculty who have used AI in teaching	61%	DEC Faculty Survey 2025
Faculty expecting future use	86%	DEC Faculty Survey 2025

What the numbers mean

The data describes a system racing ahead of its own rules. Students have adopted AI faster than institutions can write policy, and faculty are catching up while flagging genuine concerns about learning quality. The central tension of AI in education is not whether to use it — that question is settled — but how to use it without eroding the skills education is meant to build.

The most productive path treats AI as a study and teaching aid with guardrails rather than a shortcut. The productivity gains are real; our AI productivity statistics show the same pattern across knowledge work, where deliberate, structured use beats casual reliance.

1. Set clear course policies, because student use (86%) is already near-universal.
2. Build AI literacy explicitly — students' top concern is accuracy, so teach verification.
3. Support faculty with training, since 86% expect to use AI but many feel underprepared.

Methodology and caveats

A note on the sources before you cite them.

How these figures were sourced: Student usage figures come from the Digital Education Council's Global AI Student Survey; corroborating undergraduate data comes from Chegg's 2025 Global Student Survey of 11,000+ students across 15 countries; faculty figures come from the Digital Education Council's Global AI Faculty Survey 2025. Survey populations and methods differ, so confirm exact wording and sample details at each link before citing.

What this means for 2026

Heading through 2026, three takeaways stand out. First, student AI use is effectively universal — 86% use it, most of them weekly — so the policy debate has moved from access to integrity and skill-building. Second, faculty adoption is real and climbing, with 86% expecting future use, but it needs institutional support to be done well. Third, accuracy and critical thinking are the shared concern on both sides.

For educators and students alike, the opportunity is to build AI literacy deliberately. Browse our AI guides for practical, quality-first workflows, and the rest of our AI statistics to benchmark against the wider picture.

Sources & references

Every figure in this article links to its primary source below. Follow the links to confirm exact definitions, scope, and methodology before citing.

• Digital Education Council — Global AI Student Survey (2024)
• Chegg — Global Student Survey 2025 (2025)
• Digital Education Council — Global AI Faculty Survey 2025 (2025)