Santa Clara University AI Policy for College Applications
Quick Answer: Can you use AI at Santa Clara University?
It depends on your program:
- •General/Undergraduate: No explicit policy (No explicit policy)
- •Education & Counseling Psychology (ECP): AI use prohibited
Last verified: 2026-02-17 (no change from 2025-09-19) • Confidence: High
What This Means For Your Application
✓Generally Safe
- Grammar and spell-checking tools
- Getting human feedback on drafts
✗Avoid
- Submitting AI-generated paragraphs as your own
💡No explicit policy doesn't mean AI is allowed — err on the side of caution
Policy Evidence
University General Policy
“No AI-specific admissions essay policy found on admissions website”
— First-Year Students - Admission - Santa Clara University(Verified: Feb 2026)
“Currently at Santa Clara University, there is no campus-wide policy on how artificial intelligence should or should not be utilized”
— Home - Generative AI - Research Guides at Santa Clara University(Verified: Feb 2026)
Program-Specific Policies
Education & Counseling Psychology (ECP)
“You must not receive any assistance writing or editing the personal statement; it must be your own original work”
— View source(Verified: Feb 2026)
Applies to: personal statement
Policy Summary by Program
| Program | AI Allowed? | Disclosure | Enforcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| General/Undergraduate | No explicit policy | No disclosure required | E0 • No enforcement stated |
| Education & Counseling Psychology (ECP) | AI use prohibited | No disclosure required | E0 • No enforcement stated |
Sources Verified
All sources checked (12)
Policy Sources:
Additional Sources Checked:
- https://www.scu.edu/admission/
- https://www.scu.edu/admission/undergraduate/
- https://www.scu.edu/admission/undergraduate/first-year-students/
- https://www.scu.edu/admission/undergraduate/first-year-students/fy-key-deadlines/
- https://www.scu.edu/admission/choosing-scu/scu-admission-blog/
- https://www.scu.edu/bulletin/undergraduate/chapter-7-admission-of-undergraduate-students/index.html
- https://www.scu.edu/academic-integrity/
- https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/campus-ethics/guidelines-for-the-ethical-use-of-generative-ai-ie-chatgpt-on-campus/
- https://libguides.scu.edu/generativeai
- https://www.scu.edu/ecp/admissions/application-process/
Policy History
| Date | Permission | Disclosure | Enforcement | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-17 (current) | L0 | D0 | E0 | High |
| 2025-09-19 | L0 | D0 | E0 | High |
Additional Context
Santa Clara University has no explicit AI policy for undergraduate admissions essays. The university library confirms there is no campus-wide AI policy. The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics provides general guidelines about ethical AI use for enrolled students (advising never to directly copy AI-generated text), but these are not admissions-specific. The ECP graduate program separately prohibits any assistance on personal statements, but this is program-specific. Undergraduate admissions emphasizes holistic review, personal voice, and demonstrated interest but does not address AI use in application materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Santa Clara University allow ChatGPT for essays?
Do I need to disclose AI use to Santa Clara University?
How does Santa Clara University check for AI?
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