Concerns over academic integrity in higher education have intensified, with universities in Ireland reporting at least 416 suspected cases of students using artificial intelligence (AI) to gain an unfair advantage in exams and assessments. Despite this alarming number, many institutions lack comprehensive tracking methods, failing to record instances of suspected AI misuse as distinct cases.
The University of Galway has emerged as a leader in this domain, identifying 298 suspected cases of AI-related cheating. According to Freedom of Information documents, the university is one of the few institutions that has collected specific data on this form of academic misconduct. In 2024 alone, it recorded four instances of “contract cheating,” where students engaged unauthorized third parties to complete assignments for academic credit. Additionally, 142 suspected plagiarism cases were noted, culminating in 285 confirmed instances of cheating involving AI.
Notably, no students at the University of Galway faced expulsion due to academic misconduct during official examination periods. Similar trends were observed at University College Cork (UCC), which began formally documenting unauthorized AI use in the 2023/24 academic year. UCC recorded 38 cases in that year and an additional 22 in 2024/25. However, records for the current academic year have not yet been made available.
UCC differentiates between “academic misconduct” and “exam breaches,” with distinct policies governing each. Prior to the 2024/25 academic year, UCC broadly categorized “academic misconduct” as plagiarism. Since 2020, over 467 students across various schools have been found to violate academic standards, but this data primarily reflects a limited selection of schools as there was no central requirement to report cases. In total, 105 exam breaches have been recorded at UCC, but no expulsions for academic misconduct have occurred this academic year. While 68 students received warnings, 36 were sanctioned.
At Munster Technological University (MTU), 274 students have been suspected of academic misconduct since 2019. This includes unauthorized materials used during exams and cases of plagiarism. Meanwhile, Trinity College Dublin has not categorized AI misuse separately, but reported a significant rise in academic misconduct cases since implementing new procedures in 2023. The number of reported cases surged to 160 in the 2023/24 academic year from just 31 the previous year.
Trinity College’s annual report noted the growth in misconduct incidents was partly due to the challenges presented by remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of AI tools. The university’s academic misconduct cases are classified into four categories, including poor academic practice and major academic misconduct. Among undergraduate students, there were 55 recorded examination infringements, primarily involving possession of mobile devices during exams.
In response to the evolving landscape of academic integrity, guidelines at Trinity College were updated in 2024 to explicitly include unauthorized AI use as a form of misconduct. The Royal College of Surgeons reported 51 students suspected of cheating in exams since 2021, alongside 96 suspected instances of plagiarism. From 2023 onward, 43 cases involved the suspected use of AI for cheating, with a spike of 36 cases noted in 2025.
Maynooth University reported 84 students suspected of cheating in exams since 2022, and nearly 420 students have been implicated in plagiarism between 2021 and 2025. While 64 cases resulted in disciplinary actions, only one student faced a temporary suspension. Mary Immaculate College in Limerick and Technological University of the Shannon both reported minimal instances of AI-related cheating, with only three and 12 cases, respectively.
A spokesperson for the Department of Further and Higher Education emphasized that academic integrity is primarily the responsibility of each institution, supported by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). The National Academic Integrity Network has developed guidelines addressing the integration of generative AI in academic contexts. Furthermore, the Higher Education Authority is in the process of formulating a policy framework aimed at guiding colleges on the responsible use of generative AI in higher education environments.
As institutions grapple with the implications of AI in academia, the need for robust policies to uphold academic integrity will be crucial in maintaining trust in educational assessments. The challenges and opportunities presented by these technologies are likely to shape the future landscape of higher education.
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