When Jordan Wang, a high school senior in California, submitted his college application last year, he got an unexpected email. The admissions office flagged his essay for possible AI use. Wang said he had used ChatGPT only to brainstorm ideas and check grammar, but the alert made him nervous about whether his essay would still be considered authentic (AP News, 2024.) His experience shows how colleges are struggling to keep up with the growing use of AI in applications.
As AI tools like ChatGPT have become more common, changing routines in everyday life, the landscape of college admissions is changing right along with it.
Recent research suggests that roughly one in three applicants turned to AI for help with their essays during the 2023–2024 cycle. About half of those used AI for brainstorming or polishing language, which some may argue is similar to asking a teacher or counselor for feedback. But still, roughly 6 percent relied on AI to write most of their essays (Education Week, 2024).
That level of usage raises difficult questions for this year’s applicants. Some students say AI makes the application process more manageable, especially for those without access to expensive admissions coaches. Paid consultants can charge hundreds of dollars per hour, creating a gap between students with resources and those without (Education Week, 2024). Critics, however, worry that even limited AI use still blurs the lines of fairness and authenticity.
A survey conducted by Education Week asked admissions officers how they would perceive students who used AI to draft or refine their essays. The survey found that officers rated these applicants as less authentic and less ethical than students who completed their essays entirely on their own, even when the final essays looked identical (AP News, 2024).
Colleges are struggling to develop a solution, or a straightforward response/ruleset. Some, including Caltech and Georgia Tech, allow AI for brainstorming, editing, or grammar help but not for full essays. Others, including Brown University, prohibit AI under any circumstances, treating its use as a violation of integrity policies (Yomu, 2025). Enforcement is inconsistent, since AI detection tools remain unreliable and admissions offices rarely disclose whether or how automated systems are used to flag AI-generated content (Yomu, 2025.)
The ethical questions just can’t be answered. Is using AI cheating, or is it just another tool students have always used, like spell check, thesauruses, or human editors? And if AI is simply a tool, should students be discouraged from using something their future professors and workplaces will almost certainly expect them to understand?
Educators are divided. Some argue AI can help students communicate more clearly. Others worry it deepens inequities, giving an advantage to students who know how to use these tools effectively or already have structured essays, undermining the entirety of the admissions’ goal of evaluating individual potential (Test Ninjas, 2024).
Regardless of differing viewpoints, this is a deepening and developing question within the educational system, with no clear side taking a win thus far. There are positive and negative consequences relating to either extreme, and the major decision-making is up to local and federal legislators and school districts.
Malena Gangi’s input: AI is becoming part of the college application process whether we like it or not, but that doesn’t mean we should just let it slide. I think there needs to be clear rules and a reliable way to monitor if AI is being used. That way, students who do their own work receive the credit they deserve. Or maybe we should start thinking of different applications. At the very least, a different essay process is needed. For example: writing live or in a controlled testing format, so schools know the work is truly the student’s own. If colleges put standards like this in place, the process would be fairer, more honest, and better at actually showing who these students are and what they can do.
Cody Feist’s Input: Schools could require applicants to write live or in controlled testing formats so they know the work is original. If colleges set standards like this, the process would be fairer, more honest, and actually show who students are and what they can do. For me, it’s clear that AI is not going away. Students will use these tools whether colleges like it or not. But we can make it better by being upfront about what’s allowed and giving everyone a fair chance to show their own work. It shouldn’t just be about who knows AI best; it should be about who the student really is.
Sources:
AP News. “AI may be scoring your college essay. Welcome to the new era of admissions.” https://apnews.com/article/ai-chatgpt-college-admissions-essays-87802788683ca4831bf1390078147a6f
Klein, Alyson. “1 in 3 College Applicants Used AI for Essay Help. Did They Cheat?” Education Week, 18 July 2024. https://www.edweek.org/technology/1-in-3-college-applicants-used-ai-for-essay-help-did-they-cheat/2024/07
Test Ninjas. “Do Colleges Check for AI in Application Essays? How to Avoid Getting College Essays Flagged by AI Detectors.” https://test-ninjas.com/avoid-ai-detection-college-essays
