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SNU bans AI use on mandatory written exam for incoming freshmen

Published: 02 Feb. 2026, 14:29 Updated: 02 Feb. 2026, 18:26

The front gate to Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, is shown in this 2019 file photo. [YONHAP]

Seoul National University (SNU) will bar incoming freshmen from using AI on its mandatory writing test to curb cheating and accurately measure their writing skills.

University representatives announced on Sunday that incoming freshmen will have to sign an ethics pledge, affirming that they will not use AI, before taking the written exam. Those who violate the pledge may have their test score invalidated or be academically penalized.

The decision has drawn criticism from faculty members and students, who argue that the policy is ineffective and unrealistic, especially given the test’s remote online format.

Through 2024, students were not required to take the exam. But amid controversy over their declining literacy — with average scores steadily dropping from 73.7 out of 100 in 2017, when the test was first introduced, to 67.3 in 2018, 65.6 in 2020 and 60.7 in 2024 — the university made the test mandatory for all freshmen in 2025. That same year, to ensure more accurate results, it also banned students from conducting web searches.

SNU’s AI ban, which will be implemented this year, marks a shift in concerns from students simply searching for information online to using AI to draft their answers.

However, critics say that a pledge alone cannot fully prevent cheating. Incoming freshmen can take the test on any day from Monday through Feb. 11 and submit their answers within 72 hours of starting the exam — all before their first day at SNU.

That format critics argue, leaves multiple ways for students to use AI in secret.

The entrance of the Seoul National University campus is seen in southern Seoul. [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Some in academia also argue that banning AI is unrealistic, given that AI use has become so widespread.

“Even with in-person exams, it’s hard to stop AI use, so how does [SNU] expect to prevent it, for a remote test for students who have not even started school, no less, with just a pledge?” asked one SNU student. Another student at the university’s College of Social Sciences said, “With no supervision, relying solely on students’ goodwill to block AI use seems unrealistic.”

Experts say that it would be better to design an exam that evaluates literacy and writing skills in an AI era, rather than imposing a blanket ban.

“Instead of simply telling students not to use [AI], we need to teach them how to use it to write more creatively,” said Park Joo-ho, a professor of education at Hanyang University. “The university should consider various approaches, such as requiring students to disclose how they used AI or asking them to critique AI-generated writing.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM CHANG-YONG [[email protected]]