Adobe Acrobat research has found that more than a quarter of Gen Z students have launched online side hustles, as AI and digital tools change how young people study, collaborate, and earn money during university.
The study, which surveyed 500 UK students and graduates, examined how academic life has changed through AI study assistants, digital libraries, productivity apps, online marketplaces, and remote collaboration tools.
Among younger students, 68% said AI was their biggest time saver at university. A third of Gen Z respondents said AI tools saved time on school projects and helped them find more time to earn money, compared with 3% of Gen X respondents reflecting on their own university experience.
Online enterprise has become part of that shift. Almost a third of current and former students, at 31%, said technology had allowed them to use online stores such as Etsy, eBay, and Vinted to sell items faster, while 18% had created an entire side hustle business through online technology.
The generational gap is marked. A quarter of Gen Z students, at 26%, had already launched online side hustles, compared with 3% of Gen X respondents when they were at university.
Technology has also reduced the time many students spend completing assignments. Almost a quarter of Baby Boomers, at 22%, spent around two or three days completing university work, while only 6% of Gen Z students now spend that long. Most Gen Z respondents, at 63%, said they spent less than 12 hours on assignments.
Across all age groups, internet access for research was seen as the biggest time saver when doing work, cited by 48% of respondents. Instant translators were the least likely to be named as useful, at 7%. AI-powered tools such as Grammarly were favoured by Gen Z and Millennials, while Gen X respondents were more likely to favour general internet access and file sharing.
The research presents a mixed picture on quality, satisfaction, and creativity. Two-thirds of all students said they had felt dissatisfied with their work after months of manual research without technology, while a quarter said technology had dramatically improved the quality of their work.
At the same time, one in five students said technology had reduced their creativity. A similar share, at 18%, said AI had transformed their creative output for the better, with Gen Z the most likely to feel inspired by it, at 28%.
Attitudes to higher education costs may also be shifting as students gain access to more independent online learning tools. More than a quarter of Gen Z respondents, at 27%, said they now felt strongly against paying high tuition fees.
Collaboration has moved in the same direction as coursework and earning. A third of students said they now preferred to do all group work remotely to save time. Only 4% of Gen Z respondents said they had ever collaborated in person, compared with 31% of Gen X when they were at university. Among Gen Z, 43% preferred remote group work, compared with 8% of Gen X.
As AI becomes embedded in student workflows, the boundary between study time, paid work, and early enterprise is becoming less fixed. A student using digital tools to reduce administrative tasks may also be using the time released to manage customers, operate marketplace listings, or develop commercial skills before entering full-time employment.
The findings raise practical questions for universities and employers around assessment, creativity, digital confidence, and early business experience. Productivity tools can help students organise work more efficiently, but they also change expectations around speed, collaboration, and the value students place on formal academic structures.
Adobe Acrobat’s advice to students includes using technology to reduce admin time, balancing AI support with original thinking, making collaboration more efficient, staying productive on the move, and keeping notes, assignments, and project materials organised in one place.
Further details are available in Adobe Acrobat’s university now versus then analysis.
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