How We Classify University AI Policies
We evaluate university AI admissions policies across three independent dimensions—Permission, Disclosure, and Enforcement—because a single score cannot capture the nuance of how 174 schools actually regulate AI.
Why three dimensions?
Early attempts to rank AI policies on a single permissive-to-restrictive scale kept breaking down. A university can allow AI use while simultaneously requiring a sworn attestation. Another can ban AI outright yet have no mechanism to enforce the ban. Permission, disclosure, and enforcement are genuinely independent axes.
Consider a real example from our data: Stanford University's institution-level policy is L0 / D0 / E0—no explicit policy, no disclosure requirement, no enforcement. But the Graduate School of Business is coded L4 / D0 / E3—AI prohibited, no disclosure (because they forbid it entirely), and formal verification. A single score cannot represent both realities within the same institution.
The Three Dimensions
Each dimension is an independent scale. Higher numbers indicate more restrictive postures.
Permission
How much AI assistance can you use?
The school has no admissions-specific statement on AI use. A general honesty pledge may exist, but nothing addresses AI tools directly.
Princeton has no admissions-specific AI policy beyond the standard honesty pledge.
AI-generated text may be included in application materials as long as the content is accurate and the applicant takes responsibility. Often paired with a disclosure expectation.
Duke University explicitly permits AI tools in applications and encourages thoughtful use.
AI may paraphrase, suggest line edits, rephrase sentences, and provide style or clarity suggestions. Wholesale drafting is not allowed; the applicant must write the final wording.
Georgia Tech says AI can help refine ideas, but "your ultimate submission should be your own."
AI is allowed for brainstorming, outlining, topic discovery, and basic mechanics like spelling and grammar. No AI rewriting or paraphrasing of sentences.
Yale allows grammar checks and topic suggestions but considers AI-composed content "application fraud."
No AI use of any kind for admissions writing. Brainstorming, editing, and generation are all banned. Some schools specify accessibility accommodations as the only exception.
Georgetown states "use of AI tools to complete any portion of the application is prohibited."
Disclosure
When and how must you reveal AI use?
No mention of AI disclosure, even if a general "work is your own" affirmation exists.
Princeton does not ask applicants about AI tool usage.
The school suggests applicants may note how AI helped, often with a short text box. Not required, but welcomed.
Carleton College encourages applicants to note any AI assistance but does not require it.
An explicit prompt or checkbox asks what AI did. Applicants must disclose any AI assistance used during the application process.
Swarthmore College requires applicants to describe how AI was used in their materials.
Applicants must certify "no AI beyond X" or "no AI at all," with stated consequences for false attestation. Only assigned when the attestation explicitly references AI.
Georgetown undergrad requires an AI-specific attestation with consequences for violations.
Enforcement
How does the school verify compliance?
No enforcement mechanism is mentioned in the policy.
Georgia Tech has clear permission guidance but no stated enforcement mechanism.
Readers are advised to watch for voice consistency. The school may request clarification if something seems suspicious.
Yale may conduct manual reviews looking for inconsistencies in voice or style.
The school may use AI-detection software, forensic checks, request timed writing samples, or ask for additional drafts.
Some schools run applications through AI detection platforms like Turnitin.
Proctored or on-site writing is required. Offers may be contingent on producing an in-person writing sample that matches the application.
Stanford GSB requires applicants to produce on-site writing that is compared against submitted essays.
Distribution Across 174 Schools
Real numbers computed from our full dataset. Last updated with the 2026-2027 admissions cycle data.
Permission Levels
Disclosure Requirements
Enforcement Methods
How We Collect Data
Sources
- Official admissions websites and application portals
- Official communications from admissions offices (blog posts, FAQs, policy pages)
- Application platform text (Common App supplements, Coalition App, institutional portals)
Source Priority
Not all university pages carry the same weight. We follow a strict hierarchy:
- Admissions-authored AI policy statements — explicit, purpose-built guidance
- Application portal language — text applicants encounter during submission
- Admissions blog posts and FAQs — official but less formal
- General academic integrity policies — used only when nothing admissions-specific exists
Provenance
Every policy in our database includes the specific source URLs where the policy language was found, the exact quotes used to determine the classification, and the date the source was last accessed. You can verify any classification by visiting the linked sources on each school's detail page.
Confidence Levels
Program-Specific Policies
Some universities do not have a single AI policy. Instead, individual schools or programs within the university set their own rules. Our data captures these variations as program-specific overrides.
For example, Georgetown University's undergraduate admissions is L4 / D3 / E2 (AI prohibited, attestation required, screening tools). But the Law School is L3 / D0 / E1 (brainstorming only, no disclosure, soft review), and the Business Programs are L2 / D0 / E1 (line-level editing, no disclosure, soft review).
On each school's detail page, the institution-level code appears first, followed by any program-specific overrides. When applying to a specific program, always use the program-level policy if one exists—it supersedes the institution-level classification.
Explore the Data
See how individual schools are classified, or search across all 174 universities.