Student expelled for undisclosed AI use in coursework, German court upholds decision
A German master's student was expelled after using generative AI to revise and improve coursework without disclosing the assistance. The Administrative Court of Kassel ruled that failing to disclose AI use constitutes academic fraud, even when the exam regulations did not explicitly ban AI tools.
What happened
A master's student in Public Management submitted a coursework assignment in the Administrative Law module, declaring it was completed independently and without external help.
During grading, the university identified inconsistencies including logical breaks, structural problems, and footnotes citing non-existent court decisions.
The student subsequently admitted using a generative AI application to check and revise his text, largely incorporating the AI's suggestions. The student argued this was comparable to internet research or consultation with peers.
The university graded the work 5.0 (fail) and classified the conduct as particularly severe academic fraud, resulting in failure, exclusion from retaking the exam, and expulsion.
Reported impact
The student was exmatriculated (expelled from the university) following the determination that undisclosed AI use constituted academic fraud.
Index analysis
The Administrative Court of Kassel confirmed the university's decision, ruling that presenting an independent performance while using undisclosed assistance constitutes fraud. The court classified generative AI as external help when used for content generation or substantive revision, distinguishing this from spell-checking or grammar correction.
Governance controls
The court found that the absence of an explicit prohibition on AI use in the exam regulations did not alter the assessment. The decisive factor was the student's declaration that the work was completed independently.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.