We are aware that some students have raised concerns about changes that were announced by Turnitin to their End User Licence Agreement (EULA) in July 2026. Their proposed update introduced new terms regarding the processing of student submissions using AI tools.
Following significant feedback from the UK higher education sector regarding data privacy and institutional contracts, Turnitin has deferred the changes until at least the next academic year (2027-28). As a result, there are no changes to how Turnitin is used at Imperial during the current academic year (2026-27) but will we use this year to continue to engage with Turnitin regarding any changes they are planning to understand the implications for our community.
We would like to reassure students that Imperial does not use Turnitin's AI writing detection tool as part of its assessment processes. Decisions relating to academic integrity are made by staff using academic judgement and evidence, and following our institution policies.
We remain committed to being transparent about how student data is used and protected. If any future changes to Turnitin's services or terms affect students, we will communicate these clearly and in advance.