Is the Thesis Even Necessary Anymore? AI and Education | Worlduz

In July 2026, something notable happened at the RUDN Institute in Sochi, Russia: for the first time in the country, a university completely scrapped the traditional thesis for law students because of how widespread artificial intelligence has become. The decision applies to all students admitted to that program in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

The institute's leadership explained the reasoning like this: today, neural networks can generate a full thesis with case-law analysis in a matter of minutes, so a written paper no longer reflects a student's actual level of knowledge. Instead of a written thesis, graduates will now be evaluated on their ability to analyze unusual legal situations, make sound decisions under complex circumstances, and apply theoretical knowledge in practice.

So far, this is an isolated case — no other university has confirmed a similar move. But the question remains open: if this approach spreads over the next few years, will the entire process of preparing a thesis look completely different?

For now, most universities still follow the old routine: a topic is chosen, an advisor is assigned, the work is written chapter by chapter, checked for plagiarism, and then defended. The difference is that the question of how much AI use is acceptable in this process is increasingly becoming a topic of debate — some institutions ban it outright, while others are turning it into an evaluation criterion.

If you have questions about your thesis or studying abroad, reach out to Worlduz for a free consultation — because no matter which system you're studying under, sometimes all it takes is one conversation to choose the right direction.