What You Need to Know About AI in College Admissions

From a trusted colleague: how to use AI as a smart research and editing tool—without crossing ethical lines or risking your college application.

Venkates "Swami" Swaminathan

Aug 16, 2025

This time of year, we’re reading students’ admissions essays. Over the years, reading essays, many admissions counselors have learned to detect when an essay may have been written by a parent or other adult. The voice is different, and the vocabulary is telling. Now, coaches are learning to detect what AI writing is like: often flatter in tone, and with sentence lengths, vocabulary, and punctuation choices that are very unusual in teenage writing.

We also see it in the notes students take when they do college research. Sometimes the facts are outright incorrect, and sometimes the responses are written with such a detailed academic tone that it feels unlike what a student would say.

So this is a good time for parents and students to read a guide on when and how to use AI in the college admissions process.

Ask the Right Question

To start with, if you’re asking, “Should AI be used at all?”, you’re starting with the wrong question.

In 2025, AI is already woven into nearly every corner of life, from grammar checkers in Google Docs to the autocomplete on your phone. Students, schools, and colleges are all using them in myriad ways. I discovered this morning that even my chiropractor uses AI to take notes!!

The better question is this:

How should students and families use AI ethically, effectively, and in ways that strengthen — not weaken — a college application?

The goal isn’t to avoid AI entirely, but to make sure it supports, rather than replaces, your own ideas, voice, and integrity. Here’s a framework you can follow.

Guiding Principles

• Using AI for research is a great idea, but remember, AI tools hallucinate (make up facts or use out-of-date sources). AI tools like Perplexity and OpenAI can help with college research and help you get information on programs, scholarships, and majors, but fact-check the answers. LifeLaunchr’s college profiles combine data we get from multiple sources (such as the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System and the Common Data Set) with AI-generated answers to dozens of common questions about each college.

• Your application, especially your essays, should reflect your authentic voice, ideas, and experiences. Many universities require you to certify that all work is your own. Some explicitly ban or limit AI-generated content. See below for details.

• Plagiarism checks are standard, and plagiarism is never okay. Cite sources and use quotation marks when appropriate.

• Most colleges don’t use AI to evaluate applications, but a few do (most notably, Virginia Tech: see the table below). Many more use AI for administrative tasks in the admissions process. It’s not clear yet what the impact of the use of AI by colleges will be, but it will affect admissions in many ways.

What’s Generally Allowed

You can use AI tools for:

• Research: See above

• Essays: You can generally use AI for:

  • Brainstorming: evaluating ideas, thinking through topics, or structure. Some universities forbid the use of these tools for outlining, so please check specific policies.

  • Assessment — e.g., after writing an essay, asking, “What does this story communicate about me?” or “What is missing from this draft?”

  • Grammar and spelling checks.

  • Note: Some colleges, like Brown, explicitly forbid some or all of this, so before using any of these tools, check your college list and make sure you’re in compliance.

• Activity Lists:

  • Help with conciseness: You can get tips for shortening an activity description or cutting unnecessary words without losing meaning. Please edit to make sure the final words are yours.

  • Again, please make sure the colleges on your list do not explicitly forbid this.

Caveats:

• Stay in control of the content, tone, and facts.

• If a college asks, be ready to explain exactly how you used AI.

• Keep notes on your AI use, even if no one ever asks. And save each draft of your essay, so you can demonstrate its progression over time.

What’s Generally Not Allowed

You should not use AI to:

• Write or rewrite your essays, short answers, or personal statements in full.

• Invent stories, anecdotes, or details that aren’t true.

• Make up information.

• Plagiarize — even by accident.

• Submit text directly from AI without rewriting it in your own words.

Why Not?

Almost all good writing involves many drafts, and there’s real value in the iterative and sometimes slower way of working through the writing and revision process. It will help you sometimes make unexpected discoveries and uncover your unique story. Too much reliance on AI can bypass this essential step of the writing process and produce drafts that are less personal and that are missing your voice. Besides, it could violate a college’s honor code. And AI writing can strip away the authenticity that application readers value.

College AI Policy Snapshot

Although this is a fast-changing world, it’s helpful to summarize where things stand as we start the 2025-26 admissions season.

Contact me at lesscollegestress@gmail.com if you'd like information about a specific college's AI use policies.

November 1st doesn’t have to be scary

As the real witching hour for many--midnight on Sunday, November 1st--approaches, nearly all of my students have submitted their applications due at that time. Most submitted them closer to my October 15th submissions deadline. Still, there’s been a bit of seasonally-appropriate fright, mostly a refrain about one topic:

“My teacher hasn’t submitted his/her letters! Should I not submit my application?”

The answer, of course, is “yes!” It behooves you to get that application in as soon as it is complete. While the application isn’t reviewed until every required part is in, the college still downloads it when you push the button. Colleges get an onslaught of last-minute submissions--why not separate yours from the pack? Show your ability to manage your time as well as your enthusiasm about each college by submitting as soon as you are satisfied with the application.

A second topic:

“I can’t send in my application because I’m waiting for my scores from my October test!”

While there are a few colleges in the most-competitive category that need those scores either self-reported or sent from the testing agency by the November deadline, these schools are in the minority.

For most students, this situation gives you a great excuse to make contact with your admissions rep and ask if it’s ok to let them know your scores (which may include a superscore from earlier dates) as soon as you get the most recent scores. Most will tell you to add your scores to your portal, which you will have access to after you apply. If your earlier scores are not up to the college’s 50-75% percentile and you are praying for a miracle October score, check “not submitting scores” on your application. You can always submit scores that way; however, if you check that you do want your scores considered as part of your application, you must submit them.

Remember that you are in control of this part of the college process! I’m so proud of my students for working ahead of deadlines. Happy Halloween to all!

The LCS Process Prepares Students for College Success

Colleges tell us that today’s students arrive less prepared to handle tasks independently. Whether that's because of helicopter parenting (I get it-we all want our kids to be successful), teachers offering 2nd and 3rd chances to raise a grade, or using AI to do work that requires thinking, students count on the safety net for their responsibilities. At Less College Stress Consulting, we help students grow by:

Teaching proactivity: When I advise a student to reach out to admissions reps, make appointments, schedule interviews, and they do this on their own (that’s what colleges want to see…when I email reps, they ask for the student to contact them), it proves maturity and readiness to be successful if admitted. 

Approaching essays honestly: Writing demonstrates a logical thought process, so it is a major indicator of future college success. Can a student write a first draft after we draw them out and give them all the details and structure they need? Cohesive writing is considered a basic skill at college--regardless of major. AI essays are (at least at this point) generally detectable because they are polished, but impersonal and vague. College standards are higher and plagiarism often has more severe consequences than it does in high school. 

Brainstorming extracurricular activity ideas: When we brainstorm, I ask “What are you curious about?” “Why?” Students who continue that conversation will found/join organizations, compete academically, or create opportunities for others to learn and grow. At college, they become leaders/creators, engage with their professors and peers, and earn opportunities for research and internships before thoughtfully considering careers. 

At every level, skills start with independent critical thinking. While some students need more support, that’s fine. In the college counseling process, we encourage all students to work independently and dig deeper to help them build skills for college and career success.