Russian universities are starting to redesign degree verification around a simple problem: generative AI can now write a passable thesis in minutes, so a written thesis increasingly measures access to a chatbot rather than a graduate's competence. This is an early, concrete example of how credentialing may need to adapt in any field where AI can produce fluent, plausible written work.
What happened
The academic council of RUDN University's Sochi Institute voted to eliminate the standard written bachelor's thesis for undergraduate law students, according to Russian outlets Lenta.ru and Kuban24, both citing the university's own announcement via KP.RU-Kuban. The change applies to students who enrolled in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 academic years in the Jurisprudence bachelor's program. The law faculty proposed the change, and the university's stated rationale is that neural networks can now generate lengthy, court-practice-based legal analysis in minutes, undermining the written thesis as a meaningful test of a graduate's abilities.
For practitioners
In place of a written thesis, students will demonstrate competence through oral defense. Acting law faculty dean Elena Legostaeva said, per Kuban24, that the goal is to test the ability of graduates to make decisions in complex legal situations, analyze non-standard cases, and apply knowledge in practice. The university said it is not lowering academic standards: AI use is still permitted only for technical calculations or text editing within any remaining coursework, and text flagged as AI-generated in required written work is still treated as plagiarism, consistent with the AI-detection modules most Russian universities are adding to their anti-plagiarism systems.
What to watch
Watch whether other Russian law faculties or universities follow the Sochi Institute's approach. Russian media have separately reported that Russia's education minister has said written theses are losing relevance because of AI, suggesting this is not an isolated view within the ministry. Written thesis defenses generally remain a mandatory requirement across Russian higher education for now, so a full oral-only alternative is still a notable exception rather than the norm.
Editorial analysis
This is one early, localized example of a broader question institutions worldwide are starting to face: as generative AI closes the gap between a novice and a fluent-sounding expert on paper, credentialing systems built around written artifacts may need to shift toward assessments that are harder to automate, such as oral defense, live problem-solving, or supervised practical work. It is not evidence that this approach will spread beyond this one program, or that it resolves the underlying assessment problem rather than moving it to a new format.
Key Points
- 1RUDN University's Sochi Institute became the first Russian university to drop the written bachelor's thesis for law undergraduates, citing AI.
- 2Neural networks can now generate court-practice analysis in minutes, prompting a shift to oral, case-based defense of legal reasoning instead.
- 3The change covers students who enrolled from 2024 to 2026; AI-generated text in any remaining written work is still treated as plagiarism.
Scoring Rationale
A genuine, well-corroborated institutional policy change (confirmed via two independent Russian outlets with a direct quote from the acting law faculty dean), but scope is limited to one branch institute in one country. Solid, illustrative story for AI's impact on credentialing rather than a major or notable event.
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