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AI Becomes the New Study Buddy: How Students Are Using ChatGPT to Shape Their Global Education Choices

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samour ankit
October 17, 2025

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AI Becomes the New Study Buddy: How Students Are Using ChatGPT to Shape Their Global Education Choices

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer limited to coding labs and tech startups—it is now redefining how students around the world choose where and what to study. A growing number of students are using AI tools such as ChatGPT to plan their overseas education, signaling a major shift in the global education landscape.

According to a new global survey by IDP Education, AI is rapidly becoming an influential factor in students’ decision-making process. The Emerging Futures: Voice of the International Student survey, conducted in July and August 2025 among 7,900 current and prospective international students, reveals that more than half now use AI tools like ChatGPT to help them decide on study destinations, universities, and academic programs.

AI as a Study Compass

The data paints a clear picture of AI’s expanding role. About 54% of students said they plan to use ChatGPT or similar tools to select their institution, and 53% said they will rely on AI to determine their study program. These numbers represent a sharp rise from 35% and 38% in 2024, highlighting students’ increasing comfort with technology guiding their education choices.

Interestingly, the survey also found that 85% of students still consider more than one destination seriously, suggesting that while AI is helping to narrow options, it is not replacing human exploration or ambition.

Simon Emmett, Chief Partnerships Officer at IDP Education, explained that AI has become a significant early-stage tool for students:

“While students are still turning to counsellors and universities for advice, many are telling us that AI is becoming part of their decision-making toolkit. As a result, AI is shaping the early stages of students’ journeys.”

Changing Role of Education Counsellors

The rise of AI is transforming not only how students research, but also how education counsellors engage with them. Traditionally, counsellors guided students through every step—from shortlisting universities to preparing visa applications. Today, however, AI-driven tools are helping students arrive better informed and more focused.

Vaishali Jain, Senior Education Counsellor at IDP Education, observed this transformation firsthand:

“We’re seeing more students using AI tools like ChatGPT to explore study options even before they speak to a counsellor. They come to us with clearer goals and better understanding of their interests. AI helps them compare institutions, while counsellors ensure that the choices they make are realistic and align with admission criteria.”

For many students, AI serves as a launchpad—helping them explore thousands of global options in minutes, providing information on tuition fees, scholarships, visa requirements, and even lifestyle factors like city safety or climate. But despite AI’s growing capabilities, human guidance remains irreplaceable in fine-tuning these decisions and handling complex processes such as applications and documentation.

AI in Action: A Student’s Experience

For students like Ishika Malik, who is pursuing psychology at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, AI has made the process more approachable and less overwhelming.

“When you’re making such a big decision, it can be hard to know where to begin,” Ishika shared. “By asking AI questions that mattered to me—like which countries had strong psychology programs and good internship opportunities—I could quickly narrow down my options. That made it easier to have meaningful conversations with my counsellor and complete my application confidently.”

Ishika’s experience mirrors that of thousands of other international students who see AI not as a replacement for counsellors, but as a time-saving research companion.

AI Is Useful—But Not Always Trusted

Despite growing usage, not everyone fully trusts AI-generated advice. A study by US consultancy EAB, which surveyed over 20,000 high-school students, found that AI chatbots were the least trusted source of information when choosing colleges.

Only 3% of students considered AI highly trustworthy, compared to 34% who relied on in-person events, 30% who trusted university websites, and 26% who preferred school counsellors. These findings show that while AI can provide instant information, human experience and credibility still dominate final decision-making.

Simon Emmett explained this balance clearly:

“Despite the growing intent to use AI, more than a third of students told us counsellors remain their most trusted source of advice, and over half still rely heavily on university websites. The role of counsellors and educators remains vital, especially for making final decisions and navigating complex applications.”

Education Agents Take on a New Role

With AI becoming a common research tool, education agents and counsellors are now focusing more on validating AI-generated data. Students might come with lists of institutions recommended by ChatGPT or similar tools, but agents help verify which universities match their profiles and ensure the accuracy of admission requirements.

Agents are also acting as bridges between AI tools and official institutional data. Their work now involves cross-checking AI suggestions, confirming eligibility criteria, ensuring that scholarship or visa details are current, and guiding students through human-centric steps like interviews or visa submissions.

This evolving role requires close coordination between universities and agents to keep information accurate and up to date.

A Balanced Future: Human Expertise Meets AI Efficiency

As AI continues to develop, the ideal model appears to be a hybrid approach—where students use AI to explore and analyse options while counsellors provide emotional, strategic, and procedural support. AI can crunch data, but counsellors can interpret human potential—something algorithms can’t measure yet.

Education experts believe this combination will lead to smarter, more confident study decisions. Students who begin their journey with AI often come prepared with detailed questions, allowing counsellors to focus on higher-value guidance such as selecting courses that align with long-term career goals or understanding cultural fit.

The IDP study ultimately concludes that AI is not replacing counsellors—it’s empowering them. By automating basic research, AI frees up counsellors to provide deeper mentorship. Meanwhile, institutions benefit from better-prepared applicants and smoother admissions processes.

Conclusion

The growing use of AI in global education reflects a broader trend: the merging of technology and human expertise to enhance decision-making. For students, ChatGPT and similar AI tools offer the power to explore the world from their devices, understand their options faster, and make informed choices.