More universities in the United Kingdom are moving to end their contracts with Turnitin over concerns about student data privacy, intellectual property rights, and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education.
According to Times Higher Education, Newcastle University and the University of Westminster have joined the University of Southampton in announcing plans to discontinue the plagiarism detection platform.
Southampton announced in August 2026 that it would not renew its contract beyond the 2026-27 academic year and began winding down its use of the software. Newcastle University also confirmed that it would stop using Turnitin after the 2026-27 academic year.
Meanwhile, the University of Westminster plans to discontinue the service when its current contract expires in July 2027. The university has raised concerns about Turnitin’s effectiveness in identifying plagiarism in an era when students increasingly use AI writing tools.
A major concern among universities relates to proposed changes to Turnitin’s End-User License Agreement (EULA), which could allow the company to use student-submitted assignments to train future AI services, including its upcoming tool, Turnitin Clarity.
Although Turnitin has postponed the licensing changes until at least September 2027 to allow further consultation, university leaders remain concerned about student data ownership and the protection of intellectual property.
Turnitin has maintained that it does not currently use student or customer work to train its AI writing assistant. However, the company has acknowledged that anonymized submissions may be used to improve its operational detection and assessment tools.
Other universities are also reviewing their arrangements with Turnitin. The University of Aberdeen is considering its options, while Aberystwyth University has allowed students concerned about the platform to submit assignments through Blackboard.
The University of Cambridge has also expressed concerns about proposed licensing changes affecting data privacy and intellectual property rights, although it continues to use the service.
Visit EduNation to find scholarships from around the world.
The post Here’s Why Universities Are Ending Turnitin Contracts appeared first on ProPakistani.
