Is AI Coming for Your Degree? How GPT-5 Could Change Higher Education
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Zack Saadioui
8/10/2025
Is AI Coming for Your Degree? How GPT-5 Could Change Higher Education
Here we are, in the middle of a massive tech shift, & it feels like everything is up in the air. The big question on everyone’s mind, especially if you’re a student or an educator, is about the future of a college degree. With AI getting smarter by the day – I'm talking about the new GPT-5 that's supposedly like having a "Ph.D.-level expert" in your pocket – you have to wonder: is that piece of paper from a university still going to be worth it?
Honestly, it’s a valid question. We’ve all seen what ChatGPT can do. It can write a decent essay, whip up some code, & even pass some pretty tough exams. So, what does that mean for the traditional college experience? Is it about to get completely upended? Let's get into it.
The Elephant in the Room: AI, Cheating, & the Value of a Degree
Let’s just get this out of the way first. The immediate panic in higher education when tools like ChatGPT exploded onto the scene was all about cheating. And yeah, the numbers are a bit scary. One report from 2025 shows that 88% of students have used generative AI for their assessments, a huge jump from 53% in 2024. And AI-related cheating incidents have shot up by nearly 400% between the 2022-23 and 2024-25 academic years. It’s a real problem.
But here’s the thing: focusing only on the cheating aspect is like when teachers freaked out about calculators in the 70s. They thought no one would learn math anymore. Turns out, calculators just became a tool, & we moved on to teaching more complex problem-solving. AI is kind of the same, but on a MUCH grander scale.
The real conversation isn't about if students are using AI – they are. It’s about how they’re using it & what it means for what a degree represents. If a student can just prompt an AI to write their papers, did they actually learn anything? It’s a fair point. But the goal of a university education isn't just to complete homework assignments. It’s about learning how to think, how to analyze, & how to solve problems. And believe it or not, AI is pushing universities to double down on that.
The Great Assessment Shake-Up: How Universities Are Adapting
Because of AI, the old-school methods of testing students are becoming obsolete. That standard final exam or the 10-page essay? AI can handle a lot of that now. So, universities are being forced to get creative & rethink how they measure learning.
What we're seeing is a big move away from rote memorization & toward what’s being called “authentic assessment.” This is all about getting students to apply their knowledge to real-world problems – the kind of stuff you can’t just ask an AI to solve for you. Think case studies, hands-on practicals, & complex projects that require critical thinking.
Here are some of the cool ways assessments are changing:
Process over Product: Instead of just grading the final paper, some professors are now grading the entire process. This could mean looking at a student's research notes, their brainstorming sessions (which might even involve using AI as a partner), & how they've refined their ideas over time. It's about showing your work in a whole new way.
AI-Resistant Assignments: This is a big one. Educators are designing assignments that are specifically hard for AI to do well. This might involve asking students to connect course concepts to their personal experiences, or to critique an AI-generated text & identify its flaws & biases.
Oral Exams & Presentations: We’re seeing a comeback of old-school oral exams & presentations. It’s a lot harder to fake it when you have to talk through your reasoning & answer questions on the spot.
Diversifying Assessments: It's not all about the essay anymore. We're seeing more video projects, podcasts, & interactive presentations. These formats test different skills like communication & creativity, which are uniquely human.
In-Class & Group Work: There’s a renewed focus on in-class activities & collaborative projects. This makes it much harder for students to rely on AI & encourages them to learn from each other.
It’s not perfect, & there’s a real risk of just piling on more assessments & burning students out. But the smartest universities are realizing that this is an opportunity to make learning more engaging & more relevant to the real world.
The New "Must-Have" Skills for the AI Age
So, if AI can do all the "grunt work," what's left for us humans to do? This is the million-dollar question, & it's at the heart of how the value of a degree is changing. A degree is no longer just about proving you have a certain body of knowledge. Now, it's about proving you have the skills to work with AI & do the things it can't.
Here are the skills that are becoming SUPER important:
Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving: This is probably the most important one. AI can give you information, but it can’t always tell you what’s important, what’s biased, or what to do with it. The ability to analyze information, ask the right questions, & solve complex problems is more valuable than ever.
AI Literacy: You don’t need to be a coder, but you do need to understand how AI works. This means knowing how to write good prompts, how to evaluate AI-generated content, & being aware of its limitations & ethical implications.
Emotional Intelligence: AI can’t replicate genuine human empathy, teamwork, or leadership. In a world where a lot of tasks are automated, the ability to connect with people, communicate effectively, & collaborate is a massive advantage.
Creativity & Innovation: AI is great at generating content based on existing data, but it struggles with true, out-of-the-box creativity. The ability to come up with new ideas & innovative solutions is a uniquely human skill.
Adaptability & Lifelong Learning: The pace of change is just insane right now. The skills that are valuable today might not be in five years. So, the most important skill of all might just be the ability to learn, unlearn, & relearn.
The universities that are going to thrive in this new era are the ones that are actively teaching these skills, not just their traditional curriculum. They’re the ones who are going to produce graduates who are ready for the future of work.
How AI is Changing the University Itself: Beyond the Classroom
The impact of AI on higher education goes way beyond just academics. It's also changing the way universities operate & engage with students. This is where things get really interesting from a business perspective.
Think about the student journey, from the moment they first show interest in a university to the day they graduate. AI is starting to play a role in every step of that process.
For instance, admissions departments are swamped with applications & inquiries. It’s a huge administrative burden. Now, universities are using AI to streamline a lot of that. We're talking about AI-powered chatbots that can answer prospective students' questions 24/7, guide them through the application process, & even schedule interviews. This frees up admissions staff to focus on building real relationships with applicants.
And this is where a platform like Arsturn comes into the picture. Arsturn helps businesses, including universities, build custom AI chatbots that are trained on their own data. For a university, this is a game-changer. They can create a chatbot that knows everything about their specific programs, campus life, & financial aid options. This means prospective students can get instant, personalized answers to their questions anytime, day or night. It’s a much better experience for the student, & it helps the university identify and nurture the most promising leads.
Once a student is enrolled, AI continues to play a role. Universities are using AI to provide personalized support & improve student engagement. For example, some universities are using AI-powered virtual assistants to help students with everything from registering for classes to finding resources on campus. Georgia State University, for instance, has an AI-powered chatbot named "Pounce" that has actually helped increase retention rates.
Again, this is where a tool like Arsturn can be incredibly powerful. A university could use Arsturn to build a conversational AI platform that goes beyond just answering simple questions. It could be used to send proactive reminders about deadlines, recommend extracurricular activities based on a student's interests, & even identify students who might be struggling & in need of extra support. It’s all about creating a more personalized & supportive environment for students, which is more important than ever.
What to Expect from GPT-5 & Beyond
So, what does the future hold? Well, if the hype around GPT-5 is anything to believe, we're in for another big leap. OpenAI is talking about a model that is significantly smarter than its predecessors, with state-of-the-art performance in areas like coding, math, & writing. They're even saying it will be able to handle more complex, multi-step tasks and have a much better understanding of context.
One of the most exciting potential features of GPT-5 is its enhanced reasoning ability. We're not just talking about spitting out information anymore. We're talking about a model that can "think" more deeply about problems & even ask clarifying questions. This could make it an even more powerful tool for learning & research.
And it’s not just about text. GPT-5 is expected to be truly multimodal, meaning it will be able to understand & process text, audio, & video. Imagine being able to have a conversation with an AI about a lecture you just watched, or getting its help in creating a video project. The possibilities are pretty mind-blowing.
So, is AI Coming for Your Degree?
Alright, let's bring it all back to the original question. Is AI going to make your degree worthless?
Honestly, no. But it is fundamentally changing what a degree means.
A degree is no longer just a credential that proves you’ve memorized a bunch of facts. That world is over. Instead, a degree is becoming a testament to your ability to think critically, solve complex problems, & work collaboratively in a world where AI is a constant partner. It’s about proving you have those uniquely human skills that AI can’t replicate.
The universities that will succeed are the ones that embrace this change. They’ll be the ones that are redesigning their assessments, teaching the skills that matter, & using AI to create a more personalized & supportive experience for their students. And for students, the challenge is to not just see AI as a shortcut, but as a tool to be mastered.
The future of higher education is going to be a partnership between human intelligence & artificial intelligence. And if you ask me, that’s a pretty exciting future to be a part of.
Hope this was helpful. Let me know what you think.