In the age of AI, employers need assurance that graduates have genuinely earned their degrees. Assured Assessment™ certifies that universities maintain rigorous, in-person assessment standards.
Since the explosion of generative AI in late 2022, students can produce passing-quality assignments, essays, and even exam answers using tools like ChatGPT. The result: degrees that no longer guarantee competence.
80%
of students estimated to be using AI to cheat
The Australian, Feb 2026
7%
lecture attendance reported in some courses
Dr Jonathan Albright, UWA
800M
weekly ChatGPT users, the tool most used by students to cheat
OpenAI, via The Australian, Feb 2026
"University is no longer a test of your intellect. It's a test of how well you can instruct ChatGPT."
"The only way to eliminate AI cheating is to go back to in-person supervised exams, in-class presentations, oral assessments, practical lab assignments and defending of essays."
Assured Assessment is a global certification that gives employers confidence. It certifies that graduates from accredited institutions have completed rigorous, in-person assessments and genuinely earned their qualifications.
At least 70% of graded assessments must be completed under supervised, in-person conditions.
Students must also pass this in-person component (achieving at least 50% of the 70%). A student cannot rely on unsupervised work alone to achieve a passing grade.
In-person assessments could include: exams, tests, or quizzes; interactive oral assessments, presentations, performances, or in-person defences of work; lab demonstrations; observed practical or clinical examinations; supervised placements or internships with direct observation; in-class written or creative tasks; and other supervised activities.
The remaining 30% of assessment may include unsupervised methods where AI may be allowed or required, preparing students for their professional careers.
Other assessment methods could include: take-home essays, reports, or literature reviews; reflective journals or portfolios; online discussion boards, forums, or posts; data analysis projects or scientific reports; group work or collaborative products such as reports or videos; AI-assisted creative tasks such as generating and then critiquing or editing content; slide decks and presentations prepared with AI; coding or programming assignments where AI tools are permitted; and tasks assessing AI literacy such as critiquing AI output or justifying ethical use.
Students must pass the in-person component. Certification is issued per degree, per faculty, or per university.
Assured Assessment provides a clear framework that universities can adopt, verify, and promote to students and employers worldwide.
Universities adopt the Assured Assessment standard, committing to at least 70% supervised, in-person assessments across their degree programs. Assessment formats can include written exams, oral presentations, lab demonstrations, work placements, and more.
Assessment practices are verified against the standard. Upon meeting the criteria, the university, faculty, or individual degree program is awarded the Assured Assessment certification mark.
Graduates from certified programs carry a recognised, international credential. Employers can trust that certified graduates have demonstrated genuine knowledge and competency through rigorous, supervised assessment.
A widely recognised, international certification mark increases graduate employment prospects for students from certified universities.
Leading academics, former chancellors, and education regulators are calling for urgent reform. Here is what they are saying.
Two of the nation's most respected former chancellors are urging universities to bring students back to campus for supervised exams and in-person assessments to counter an epidemic of students cheating using artificial intelligence.
Ros Thomas
Six senior academics in three states estimated 80 per cent of students are using ChatGPT or similar AI engines to cheat assignments, essays and exams, claiming university administrations are failing to crack down on the practice.
Ros Thomas
A comprehensive discussion paper commissioned by TEQSA outlining directions for assessment reform in higher education in response to generative AI, emphasising the need for multiple, inclusive, and contextualised assessment approaches.
Jason M Lodge, Sarah Howard, Margaret Bearman et al.
"70% of the final mark or thereabouts has to come from in-person supervised assessments. And the student has to pass that 70%." Professor Finkel discusses the urgent need for assessment reform.
Interview with Nadia Mitsopoulos
Employers are losing faith in university qualifications as AI-driven cheating undermines the value of degrees. Businesses are increasingly favouring experienced candidates over fresh graduates whose skills and knowledge cannot be verified.
The Australian
Contract cheating companies are resorting to increasingly desperate tactics — sneaking into lectures, infiltrating group chats, and impersonating professors — as generative AI takes over the cheating market from traditional essay mills.
Sally Rawsthorne
Whether you are a university leader, employer, or student, Assured Assessment provides the framework to restore trust in higher education qualifications worldwide.