Institutional and academic determinants of ChatGPT adoption in higher education: evidence from a resource-constrained university context

Abstract

This study examines the determinants of students’ use of ChatGPT as a learning support tool at a public local university located in a resource-constrained, mountainous region of northern Vietnam, characterised by socioeconomic disadvantage and limited access to educational resources. Drawing on survey data from 906 undergraduate students, the study investigates how individual digital readiness, academic context, institutional support, and economic constraints jointly shape students’ engagement with ChatGPT. The findings indicate that students’ use of ChatGPT is influenced more strongly by academic and institutional conditions than by individual digital competence alone, while economic barriers remain a significant constraint on sustained use. By situating generative AI adoption within a structurally disadvantaged higher education context, this study extends technology acceptance research and underscores the importance of context-sensitive, institution-led strategies to ensure equitable and responsible integration of generative AI in public universities.