Aithor’s research team analyzed over 38,600 US and UK students to find that Americans study 41% less than Brits and enjoy a better work-life balance.
Partnered with Tutor AI, Aithor’s research also found that US students study 20 hours less per week compared to UK counterparts. The biggest difference lies in the studying approach and structure of the day, where UK students treat Sunday as a full working day, while US students have a smoother and more structured schedule to prioritize rest during the weekends.
Aithor’s research team analyzed over 38,600 US and UK students
The research relied on questionnaires and data sampling, where Aithor partnered with Tutor AI to collect responses from students actively using AI tools in their academic work. The research was based on data provided by 17,600 US and 14,500 UK students with additional 6,500 responses (5,000 US and 1,500 UK) provided by Tutor AI.
Findings revealed several cultural, scheduling, and technological differences
Drastic differences between the time UK and US students allocate for study are caused by differences in the average number of studying hours, work-life balance, AI adoption rates, and approaches to learning in general:
- US students study 20 hours less per week: US students study 4 days, while UK students 6 days on average as they treat Friday and Sunday as a full working day. As the result, UK students study 41% more than their US counterparts.
- 52% of UK students frequently rely on AI in their studying, with an additional 22% using it periodically: UK students have a high AI adoption rate in their studying, with 12% of participants generating more than half of their work using AI tools. High adoption rate contrasts slightly with the US, with 42% and 22% use it often or periodically, respectively.
- The majority of interviewed students prefer free AI tools: research shows that 54% of UK and 65% of US students avoid any costs associated with AI usage. However, the findings also revealed that a smaller group opts for paid subscriptions for long-term use: 25% of UK and 23% of US students use premium paid AI tools.
- False data and penalties for AI-generated content are two key challenges: most students use AI for meeting minutes, as a reference generator, and for structure suggestions. However, when used for generating content, students mention they are often being penalized for AI-generated content when detected by the academic grading system.
- US students pay more attention to sleep and personal time: Americans prioritize sleep and personal time, avoiding late night studying sessions. Their UK counterparts put much more effort into studying rather than their personal lives, often extending their school day into the evening and working until 9–10 pm.
Read full research results
About research authors
Aithor and its research partner – Tutor AI – are two leading AI tools in the educational sector both in the US and UK.
Aithor is an AI-based platform that generates essays and articles, allowing students to quickly write essays, papers, paraphrase sections. This tool helps students overcome writer’s block, improve writing, and maintain high academic standards.
As a trusted partner in this research, Tutor AI allows users to build a powerful AI learning assistant tailored to specific academic needs.
