Each year an exponentially increasing number of high school seniors apply to universities, with over 7.5 million applying in the 2023-2024 admissions cycle; however, the 2024-2025 admissions cycle will be different with the widespread adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Generative AI emerged in the late 2010s but was not popularized until roughly two years ago when chatbots such as ChatGPT were created. ChatGPT is a tool that is programmed to mimic human actions such as decision-making, language understanding, and writing.
“AI can be a tricky topic,” said North High English Teacher Mrs. Tunick. “While some tools can enhance a students writing beneficially, others can completely erase their original thoughts.”
With the rise of AI platforms, college applicants can now use tools such as generative AI to brainstorm ideas, prepare for interviews, refine essay drafts, or even fully generate application essays and extracurricular activity descriptions. For students these tools can help alleviate the stress of college admissions; however, the accessibility to AI raises ethical questions about its authenticity. Essays have been a long-standing component in gauging an applicant’s personality and being, but if essays were AI-generated, admissions officers may find it harder to do so.
Colleges and universities are adapting to a variety of ways to handle the use of AI in applications. Some institutions, such as Princeton University, have explicitly discouraged the use of AI for any part of admissions essays, stating that essays should reflect an applicant’s own ideas and writing process. Other universities take it a step further to formally ban the use of AI for any part of the application.
“The whole point of college admissions is to show who you are through your own work,” said junior Julian Elihu, North High AI club president. “When AI is used for an application it compromises that purpose and jeopardizes the authenticity colleges are looking for.”
Meanwhile, universities such as the University of Michigan are encouraging admissions officers to look beyond the actual writing and gauge the thought and originality.
Some colleges utilize tools such as AI detectors which use an algorithm to calculate the probability of a given text being AI or human. These detectors take into account vocabulary, sentence structure, writing variance, and perplexity.
“Even if you think that AI is going to be a better composer of English language prose than you are, it is not going to be better than you are at speaking for you,” Director of Outreach and Communications at Yale University, Mark Dunn said. “And from our experience, we can tell you that speaking for you is much more important than whatever levels of polish are on top of your writing.”
Additionally, AI detectors have proven to be unreliable in differentiating between AI and human text, leading to admissions officers taking a more holistic approach to reviewing applications.
On the flip side, many colleges have admitted to using AI as a tool in reviewing applications, with a survey finding over 80% use AI or plan to use it in reviewing applications. While overall these colleges use AI to assess multiple areas of applications, emphasis has been placed on reviewing transcripts and letters of recommendation. Among the colleges that use AI to review applications, a majority state that AI will have the final say leading to fear of changes in criteria traditionally used in admissions. However, admissions officers hope that by using AI bias can be eliminated while also increasing efficacy.
“It’s already nerve-wracking to be judged by a person during college applications,” said sophomore Niuniu Kong. “Now, with AI involved it feels like our futures are in the hands of a robot, and that’s pretty scary.”
The rise of AI in college admissions may change not just how applications are reviewed, but also how colleges evaluate applicants in general. As schools work to balance the benefits and drawbacks of AI tools, they’re facing big questions about fairness, authenticity, and how to ensure that the admissions process reflects each student’s unique voice. Colleges want to protect the personal side of applications while acknowledging the reality that many students now have access to AI assistance.
In the future, the role of AI in college admissions could influence other parts of the educational experience, from coursework to job applications. As AI becomes more common, colleges may need to set clear policies to guide students and staff in using it responsibly. How schools handle AI today could set the tone for its use across higher education, shaping how students are evaluated and prepared for an increasingly tech-driven world.
