Ellucian's 3rd Annual Higher Education AI Survey Signals Shift from Individual AI Use to Institutional Strategy, Data Privacy Still the Top Barrier

Key Highlights:

• 90% of higher ed professionals now use AI, suggesting personal adoption is nearing a ceiling (up from 84% year over year).
• Institutional AI adoption jumped to 66% (from 49% the previous year), signaling a move from experimentation to mainstream integration; 43% say AI is already reflected in their institution's strategic plan, and 88% expect institutional AI use to keep rising over the next two years.
• Data security and privacy remain the #1 barrier to AI use at both the personal and institutional levels, while concerns about cost and limited understanding of the technology decline year over year.
• New barriers are emerging: more than 1 in 5 cite environmental impact among top three barriers, and concern about AI-related role elimination doubled to 14%.

RESTON, Va., March 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, released its third annual artificial intelligence survey report of higher education professionals, offering a data-rich look at how staff are using AI, and how institutions are moving more quickly from widespread experimentation to strategic integration. The findings reflect survey responses from 779 higher education faculty and administrators from more than 300 institutions primarily in the U.S. and Canada.

The survey also shows institutional adoption is accelerating, with 66% of respondents reporting their institution is currently leveraging AI, an increase from 49% year over year. Eighty-eight percent of respondents say they expect institutional AI use to increase over the next two years. At the same time, privacy and trust concerns continue to shape how leaders prioritize use cases and governance.

"Higher education has moved beyond the question of whether AI will shape the future of academic and administrative work — the question now is how institutions scale it responsibly and strategically," said Laura Ipsen, President and CEO, Ellucian. "Our third annual survey shows institutions taking AI more seriously in planning and budgeting, while leaders remain clear-eyed about what must come first: protecting data, building trust, and ensuring AI strengthens — not replaces — the people at the heart of higher education."

Pace of AI adoption and institutional readiness

As personal use nears saturation, respondents report institutions are increasingly formalizing AI strategy and investment:

• 90% report using AI (up from 84% the previous year) while 7% remain non-users with no intention to adopt.
• Nearly half (43%) say their institution's strategic plan includes a focus on AI.
• Nearly two-thirds of executive leaders indicate their institution already allocates budget specifically for AI, most commonly through a broader technology or innovation budget (48%). Another 21% are planning or exploring budget allocation.

Where leaders see the biggest payoff, and where trust matters most

Executive leaders continue to prioritize "lower-risk, high-return" applications where AI protects and augments decision-making:

• Leaders most frequently say AI can deliver the greatest institutional benefits in the areas of Business & Operations (68%), Data & Analytics (59%), and Marketing, Admissions & Enrollment (51%).
• When asked which specific AI use would be most valuable, executive leaders' top choice is cybersecurity threat detection and response automation, followed by revenue/expense forecasting and identifying at-risk students.
• Respondents report increasing skepticism where AI influences high-stakes, human-centered decisions — including student learning. The share who say AI does "more good than harm" for student learning declined to 45% from 55%, while perceived positive impact on academic integrity improved to 27% from 16%.

Barriers are evolving, with privacy still #1

While some concerns are easing, trust and governance remain central to scaling adoption:

• Data security and privacy remain the leading barrier at both the personal and institutional levels (61% and 56%, respectively).
• New barriers are emerging, including environmental impact (cited by more than 1 in 5 respondents among their top three barriers), and concerns about AI-related role elimination rising year over year (7% to 14%).
• Even as familiarity grows, training remains the most-cited resource for effective adoption; 83% of Financial Aid respondents indicate they need AI training.

Read the full survey report here.

ABOUT THE SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Ellucian's third annual AI Survey of Higher Education Professionals is a continuation of a research project that began in 2023 to better understand how higher education leaders perceive and use artificial intelligence technologies and the value they bring to institutions. The survey was open September 15 – November 15, 2025, gathering 779 responses from higher education administrators representing more than 300 institutions primarily in the U.S. and Canada. The sample was balanced to ensure a broad representation across various institution types, sizes, and job functions.

68% of respondents came from public institutions, with 21% coming from US 2-year publics, 41% coming from US 4-year publics, and 5% representing Canadian public institutions and technical institutes. 32% of respondents represented private institutions. The sample also reflected a wide range of institution sizes based on FTE: 14% were from schools with fewer than 1,000 students, 13% from schools with 1,000 - 1,999 students, 21% from schools with 2,000 - 4,999 students, 17% from schools with 5,000-9,999 students, 15% from schools with 10,000 - 19,999 students, 19% from schools with more than 20,000 students. 17% of respondents worked in business and operations at their institution, 17% in academic and student affairs, 15% in information technology, 14% in data and analytics, 13% in executive leadership, 10% in financial aid, 9% in marketing, admissions and enrollment, and 6% in alumni relations and advancement.

WHAT IS ELLUCIAN

Ellucian powers innovation for higher education, partnering with approximately 3,000 customers across 50 countries, serving more than 21 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, including data-rich tools for student recruitment, enrolment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners and user community of more than 45,000 provides best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.

Media Contacts

Greg Giangrande, Chief Marketing Officer

Greg.Giangrande@Ellucian.com 

Jess Weston, Manager, Communications

Jess.Weston@Ellucian.com

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SOURCE Ellucian