Sydney, Australia Last checked

The University of Sydney

Independent · Open access · Not an official university page

What would you like to check?

Search universities

Explore the current record by topic

Coursework

Open: allowed; secure: generally not

Each unit outline has a 'Use of AI' column for every assessment. AI can be used in open (unsupervised) assessments, where educators guide appropriate use and use must be acknowledged; it generally cannot be used in secure (supervised) assessments unless the unit coordinator expressly permits it. These coursework rules do not apply to HDR theses.

Official source ↗

Exams

Secure assessments: AI generally prohibited

Secure (supervised) assessments, such as secure exams, generally prohibit AI unless the unit coordinator gives express permission in the unit outline; using AI where prohibited can breach the Academic Integrity Policy.

Official source ↗

Disclosure

Acknowledgement required

AI used in assessments must be acknowledged, including AI translation, paraphrasing or referencing tools; basic spelling/grammar correction and word processing are exempt. The statement gives the tool name and version, publisher, URL and how it was used; coordinators may require logs. HDR theses must include an AI statement even if no AI was used.

Official source ↗

Privacy & sensitive data

Do not input protected material

Do not enter confidential, personal, proprietary or otherwise sensitive information into AI tools. Inputting University teaching or course materials, other students' work, external partners' intellectual property or anyone's personal or health information counts as misuse. HDR students must never upload personal, sensitive or confidential information to any AI tool.

Official source ↗

Institutional tools

Copilot for all; others scoped

Microsoft Copilot Chat is free for all students and is the go-to option when signed in via Okta (only some highly protected data). Cogniti agents are provided through units; Harvey AI is for Sydney Law School students only. ChatGPT Edu is not yet generally available: a student pilot is planned for October 2026 and release to all students in Semester 1 2027, with agents and connectors assessed before enabling. Tool access does not override an assessment's AI rules.

Official source ↗

Research & publication

HDR: stricter rules

HDR (research degree) students may use AI for spelling and grammar but not to generate content, rewrite drafts' academic language or include AI output as substantive thesis content, unless AI is integral to the approved research methodology (supervisor approval and ethics arrangements). Theses need an AI statement and students should keep prompts and outputs.

Official source ↗
More reviewed record topics

Academic integrity & procedures

Breach procedures apply

Inappropriately generating content with AI is an academic integrity breach and AI-generated submissions may be treated as contract cheating. Turnitin's AI detector may be used, but its score is never the only evidence. Minor breaches may be handled by the unit coordinator, more serious ones by the faculty Educational Integrity team, and the most serious by the Registrar. Academic decisions: faculty/Academic Panel review within 20 working days, then SAB within 15 working days; Registrar misconduct penalties: SDAC appeal within 20 working days.

Official source ↗

Teaching guidance

Recommended

The University of Sydney recommends a two-lane assessment framework to guide teaching and assessment design in the age of generative AI: Lane 1 assures learning through secured, in-person assessments where generative AI may or may not be allowed by the examiner, while Lane 2 scaffolds and supports relevant generative AI use in open assessments; under the Assessment Procedures, unit of study coordinators specify for each assessment whether and which AI tools are permitted and how use must be acknowledged.

Official source ↗

Security and procurement

Unclear

Central IT security evaluation protocols, vendor data privacy impact assessments, and institutional procurement standards for third-party generative AI platforms are not verified in current reviewed university records.

Before you submit

Do

  • Check the 'Use of AI' column in your unit outline for each assessment: open assessments allow AI with acknowledgement; secure ones generally do not.
    Requirement in this scope
  • Acknowledge AI use with the tool name and version, publisher, URL and how you used it; spelling/grammar-only tools are exempt.
    Requirement in this scope
  • HDR students: include an AI statement in your thesis (even if you used none) and keep your prompts and outputs.
    Requirement in this scope

Don’t

  • Do not use AI in secure assessments unless the unit outline expressly allows it.
    Requirement in this scope
  • Do not input course materials, other students' work, or personal or health information into AI tools.
    Requirement in this scope
  • HDR students: do not use AI to generate thesis content or polish a draft's academic language unless it is part of your approved methodology.
    Requirement in this scope

AI use questioned?

The University of Sydney

University of Sydney student AI guidance (updated 2 June 2026); academic integrity, investigation and appeals pages; Graduate Research HDR AI guidance; Teaching@Sydney assessment framework; ChatGPT Edu and Student IT pages. Institution audit remains PARTIAL.

Investigation & response

At the University of Sydney, minor academic integrity breaches may be handled locally by unit coordinators, more serious ones are investigated by the faculty Educational Integrity team, and the most serious suspected cheating is handled by the Registrar under the Student Discipline Rule. Students may bring a support person to an integrity meeting.

Original evidence and scope

At the University of Sydney, minor academic integrity breaches may be handled locally by unit coordinators, more serious ones are investigated by the faculty Educational Integrity team, and the most serious suspected cheating is handled by the Registrar under the Student Discipline Rule. Students may bring a support person to an integrity meeting.

draft-claim-usyd-integrity-investigation
Some minor breaches can be handled by unit coordinators locally while more serious breaches are referred to the relevant faculty’s Educational Integrity Coordinator or one of its nominated academics for investigation.

Who investigates; lines 32-32 of captured page text

Official university source ↗
The most serious instances of suspected cheating are handled under the misconduct process, which is governed by the University of Sydney (Student Discipline) Rule and handled by the Registrar.

Who investigates; lines 34-34 of captured page text

Official university source ↗
You can bring a support person, and occasionally your teacher or examination invigilator (supervisor) will also be asked to attend.

Meetings; lines 106-106 of captured page text

Official university source ↗

The University of Sydney advises that Turnitin's AI detection tool may be used if a marker suspects AI-generated work where its use was not permitted or not acknowledged, but the AI detector score would not be the only evidence relied upon for an academic integrity case.

Original evidence and scope

The University of Sydney advises that Turnitin's AI detection tool may be used if a marker suspects AI-generated work where its use was not permitted or not acknowledged, but the AI detector score would not be the only evidence relied upon for an academic integrity case.

usyd-claim-9
If a marker or teacher suspects that part or all of your assessment has been generated using AI technology and its use was not permitted, or use was not acknowledged, the Turnitin AI detection tool may be used to evaluate the situation. It's important to note that the AI detector score would not be the only evidence relied upon for an academic integrity case, but will be considered alongside other relevant evidence.

Detecting generative AI use section

Official university source ↗

Possible outcomes

The University of Sydney's Academic Integrity Policy 2022 states it is an academic integrity breach to inappropriately generate content using artificial intelligence to complete an assessment task, and submitting an assessment generated by AI may be considered contract cheating.

Original evidence and scope

The University of Sydney's Academic Integrity Policy 2022 states it is an academic integrity breach to inappropriately generate content using artificial intelligence to complete an assessment task, and submitting an assessment generated by AI may be considered contract cheating.

usyd-claim-1
Clause 4(9)(2)(j)(i) states that it is an academic integrity breach to inappropriately generate content using artificial intelligence to complete an assessment task. Clause 4(13)(1)(i) states that submitting an assessment generated by AI may be considered contract cheating.

The policy and assessment frameworks section, 'What is in the policy about generative AI use by students?'

Official university source ↗

Review & appeal

University of Sydney academic decisions and misconduct findings use different review routes. For academic decisions, students may apply for faculty or Academic Panel review within 20 working days, and may appeal to the Student Appeals Body (SAB) within 15 working days of the review outcome, but not simply because they disagree with it. Where the Registrar makes a misconduct finding or penalty, the student may appeal to the Student Disciplinary Appeals Committee (SDAC) within 20 working days of the penalty notice. Not every AI-related academic integrity matter is a Registrar misconduct decision.

Original evidence and scope

University of Sydney academic decisions and misconduct findings use different review routes. For academic decisions, students may apply for faculty or Academic Panel review within 20 working days, and may appeal to the Student Appeals Body (SAB) within 15 working days of the review outcome, but not simply because they disagree with it. Where the Registrar makes a misconduct finding or penalty, the student may appeal to the Student Disciplinary Appeals Committee (SDAC) within 20 working days of the penalty notice. Not every AI-related academic integrity matter is a Registrar misconduct decision.

draft-claim-usyd-academic-appeal-routes
If an informal resolution doesn’t resolve your concerns, the next level available to you is to apply for a review from the relevant faculty or administrative unit. You must apply within 20 working days of receiving:

Level 2; lines 81-83 of captured page text

Official university source ↗
If you apply for a SAB appeal, you must apply within 15 working days of receiving the outcome of your faculty or Academic Panel review. If you are granted an extension, you must apply within the extended timeframe.

Level 3; lines 101-101 of captured page text

Official university source ↗
You cannot appeal to the SAB simply because you disagree with the faculty or Academic Panel review outcome.

Level 3; lines 97-97 of captured page text

Official university source ↗
To be eligible for a disciplinary appeal, you will need to submit your appeal within 20 working days of receiving your penalty notice from the Registrar.

Appealing a misconduct outcome; lines 29-29 of captured page text

Official university source ↗

AI tools & access

  • ChatGPT EduInstitutional access / licenceUnder review

    Not yet generally available to students; University single sign-on once released.

  • Microsoft Copilot ChatOfficial recommendationRecorded as allowed in the source scope

    Sign in with your University account via Okta.

  • CognitiUniversity-hosted serviceConditions apply

    Through units where educators provide Cogniti agents.

  • Harvey AIInstitutional access / licenceConditions apply

    Sydney Law School students; see the Law School FAQs.

Record updatesLast 90 days · Recorded updates: 2

Updates to this site's reviewed record, not confirmation that the university changed its policy.

  1. Page update

    Other records · Page update

    View revision

    Loading revision…

  2. Held / removed from current conclusions · Record addition · Site correction

    Coursework · Exams · 5 more topics · Records involved: 11 (5 corrected / adjusted · 5 added · 1 held)

    View revision

    Loading revision…

Reviewed claims

15

Held conclusions and historical evidence (1)

These original records and prior review states are retained for provenance, not as current permissions, duties or precise deadlines.

Historical rule (Academic Integrity Policy 2022 as described in the Teaching@Sydney FAQ): students could only use assistance, including automated writing tools, if the unit of study outline expressly permitted it. Current student guidance (updated 2 June 2026) instead allows AI in open assessments and generally prohibits it in secure assessments unless expressly permitted, so this undated prior-permission rule is held as historical and not shown as a current university-wide rule. The current Policy Register text was not re-read clause by clause.

Current status: held; historical review state: needs_review

usyd-claim-2

Clause 5(16) (2) mentions that students may only use assistance, including automated writing tools, if the unit of study outline expressly permits it. (5)(b) mentions that students must acknowledge assistance provided when preparing submitted work, including the use of automated writing tools.

Official sources

11 official URLs; 12 source attributions and their captured versions retained.

Using artificial intelligence tools responsibly (last updated 2 June 2026)

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

Using artificial intelligence tools responsibly (last updated 2 June 2026) · 2026-10-20T05:35:36Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

c5c9c40bab94402e0943669b6a1187ef57e3a43e766ca2a896f98fa2d818142b

Using artificial intelligence tools responsibly · 2026-05-10T14:20:00.000Z

Representation unspecified in this historical record; do not assume an original-file hash.

abfbc1fd30f4e356a25ac73a7426ed5703af63a9f5e0307b37c2fd249d0d68d7

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Student IT: apps and software

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

Student IT: apps and software · 2026-10-20T05:35:37Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

81af3a0c8d7bb45219d0ad877118d356fb3346b070404e4d92a68312e71fe548

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Graduate Research: Getting started (Use of generative artificial intelligence)

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

Graduate Research, The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

Graduate Research: Getting started (Use of generative artificial intelligence) · 2026-10-20T05:54:24Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

315ab3cccc95bc4f98db73c548d50b8d5dc97e68dead644f249935c683f0f0f1

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Graduate Research: Preparing your thesis

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

Graduate Research, The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

Graduate Research: Preparing your thesis · 2026-10-20T05:54:25Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

48ee868f346d41c0addb36093ed6548c6a6697836049dd0303e8beb8a9eb846a

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Academic appeals

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

Academic appeals · 2026-10-20T05:55:28Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

bb6f0d403ed4a71b0d0f71fd6a184e91bb5145fb10e84946d589e7f163aa5d43

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Appealing a misconduct outcome

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

Appealing a misconduct outcome · 2026-10-20T05:55:29Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

d201fb90b6a25b329d6b8d61b7657ba9b5974b76d201d674fa8d4120660ae710

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Detection and investigation of academic integrity breaches (last updated 2 June 2026)

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

Detection and investigation of academic integrity breaches (last updated 2 June 2026) · 2026-10-20T05:55:29Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

58463fa9bd09ebeaf674041801f0a940cf84c7345b845b0a1ba145c952ace5d6

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

ChatGPT Edu (students)

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

The University of Sydney

Hash and captured version

ChatGPT Edu (students) · 2026-10-20T05:55:10Z

SHA-256 of the retained capture file bytes.

dd7b4d834ba379380ba985db473d5fbe2346e22bd6a91d5dd065dc417252e55e

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Frequently asked questions about generative AI at Sydney

educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au

University official source

educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au

Hash and captured version

Frequently asked questions about generative AI at Sydney · 2026-05-10T14:21:00.000Z

Representation unspecified in this historical record; do not assume an original-file hash.

058efdd957971901a0e660842c9c6489291b59f707f0ce8389586021ae393a1e

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Aligning our assessments to the age of generative AI

educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au

University official source

educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au

Hash and captured version

Aligning our assessments to the age of generative AI · 2026-05-10T14:22:00.000Z

Representation unspecified in this historical record; do not assume an original-file hash.

40b1a9c73e76e9eeb8c7d22e91d920e679dd28271b27494172e6110c6b48f926

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗

Assessment Procedures

www.sydney.edu.au

University official source

sydney.edu.au

Hash and captured version

Assessment Procedures · 2026-05-10T14:22:00.000Z

Representation unspecified in this historical record; do not assume an original-file hash.

4981f1bde50adc698d04d6110ef088d95f760d85cb0601080d3743d90a9e9f2f

Hashes identify a captured version; they do not establish current policy or review approval.

Official source ↗
Record information, JSON & citation

Review layers: claim review applies to the claims only. Analysis is a separate machine-generated summary awaiting review. Coverage scores do not establish complete policy knowledge.

Claim review state
agent_reviewed
Analysis review state
machine_candidate
Record revision
qs25-31-v6-r1-20261020
Dataset release
public-release-20260924-002
Correction published
Student snapshot
Not published
Current reviewed JSON · Historical baseline

Published V6 presentation; JSON and MCP retain the existing public record. Supplementary quotations and scope notes remain pending review. Local candidate corrections, tools and student summaries are not approved for publication. Institution-wide audit remains PARTIAL.

          Current reviewed JSON
          Questions students ask

          Questions students ask

          Can I use AI for my coursework?

          Each unit outline has a 'Use of AI' column for every assessment. AI can be used in open (unsupervised) assessments, where educators guide appropriate use and use must be acknowledged; it generally cannot be used in secure (supervised) assessments unless the unit coordinator expressly permits it. These coursework rules do not apply to HDR theses.

          View evidence →
          Do I need to disclose AI use?

          AI used in assessments must be acknowledged, including AI translation, paraphrasing or referencing tools; basic spelling/grammar correction and word processing are exempt. The statement gives the tool name and version, publisher, URL and how it was used; coordinators may require logs. HDR theses must include an AI statement even if no AI was used.

          View evidence →
          Can I upload sensitive data?

          Do not enter confidential, personal, proprietary or otherwise sensitive information into AI tools. Inputting University teaching or course materials, other students' work, external partners' intellectual property or anyone's personal or health information counts as misuse. HDR students must never upload personal, sensitive or confidential information to any AI tool.

          View evidence →
          Which tools can I access?

          Microsoft Copilot Chat is free for all students and is the go-to option when signed in via Okta (only some highly protected data). Cogniti agents are provided through units; Harvey AI is for Sydney Law School students only. ChatGPT Edu is not yet generally available: a student pilot is planned for October 2026 and release to all students in Semester 1 2027, with agents and connectors assessed before enabling. Tool access does not override an assessment's AI rules.

          View evidence →
          What are the examination rules?

          Secure (supervised) assessments, such as secure exams, generally prohibit AI unless the unit coordinator gives express permission in the unit outline; using AI where prohibited can breach the Academic Integrity Policy.

          View evidence →
          What rules apply to research and publication?

          HDR (research degree) students may use AI for spelling and grammar but not to generate content, rewrite drafts' academic language or include AI output as substantive thesis content, unless AI is integral to the approved research methodology (supervisor approval and ethics arrangements). Theses need an AI statement and students should keep prompts and outputs.

          View evidence →
          What counts as academic misconduct?

          Inappropriately generating content with AI is an academic integrity breach and AI-generated submissions may be treated as contract cheating. Turnitin's AI detector may be used, but its score is never the only evidence. Minor breaches may be handled by the unit coordinator, more serious ones by the faculty Educational Integrity team, and the most serious by the Registrar. Academic decisions: faculty/Academic Panel review within 20 working days, then SAB within 15 working days; Registrar misconduct penalties: SDAC appeal within 20 working days.

          View evidence →
          What guidance applies to teaching?

          The University of Sydney recommends a two-lane assessment framework to guide teaching and assessment design in the age of generative AI: Lane 1 assures learning through secured, in-person assessments where generative AI may or may not be allowed by the examiner, while Lane 2 scaffolds and supports relevant generative AI use in open assessments; under the Assessment Procedures, unit of study coordinators specify for each assessment whether and which AI tools are permitted and how use must be acknowledged.

          View evidence →
          What security and procurement requirements apply?

          Central IT security evaluation protocols, vendor data privacy impact assessments, and institutional procurement standards for third-party generative AI platforms are not verified in current reviewed university records.

          View evidence →
          When was this record checked?

          Record checked:

          Record version →
          Which official sources support these rules?Official source →
          Where can I read the full evidence?

          15 · Full policy evidence

          Full policy evidence →