UC Santa Barbara AI Policy for College Applications
Policy Changed Since September 2025
Permission: L3 → L2 (Line-level editing allowed)
Disclosure: D1 → D3 (Unknown policy)
Enforcement: E2 (unchanged)
This school updated their AI admissions policy between our September 2025 and February 2026 reviews.
Quick Answer: Can you use AI at UC Santa Barbara?
UC Santa Barbara allows limited AI use for editing and improving your own writing. AI can help with grammar, clarity, and sentence-level edits, but you must write the core content yourself.
Disclosure: UC Santa Barbara requires an attestation that you did not use AI or used it only within specified limits. False attestation may result in application rejection.
Enforcement: UC Santa Barbara uses AI detection tools and screening software to identify potential AI-generated content in applications.
Last verified: 2026-02-17 • Confidence: High
What This Means For Your Application
✓Generally Safe
- AI grammar and clarity suggestions
- Rephrasing individual sentences with AI
✗Avoid
- Having AI write entire paragraphs or essays
- Using AI to generate ideas you present as your own
💡Be transparent about any AI tools you used — honesty is always the safest approach
💡This school actively checks for AI — make sure your essay sounds like you
Policy Evidence
University General Policy
“Students may receive advice on content and editing, including the use of generative artificial intelligence software to assist with readability, but content and final written text must be their own”
— UC Statement of Integrity (signed during application)(Verified: Feb 2026)
“whatever you ultimately submit better be your own creation”
— Shaping your personal narrative: PIQ tips and more from UC admissions experts(Updated: 2025-10-23)
“an AI tool can help you with structure and readability, but use it with caution”
— Shaping your personal narrative: PIQ tips and more from UC admissions experts(Updated: 2025-10-23)
“We do run the PIQ responses through plagiarism detection software”
— Shaping your personal narrative: PIQ tips and more from UC admissions experts(Updated: 2025-10-23)
“A personal insight question written by AI is not going to be very good, because it's not going to teach us anything about the student”
— How the University of California evaluates student applications(Updated: 2024-10-31)
Specific Guidelines
✓ Allowed Uses
- •advice on content and editing
- •generative AI to assist with readability
- •structure and readability assistance
- •brainstorming ideas
✗ Not Allowed
- •submitting AI-generated content as original work
- •wholesale drafting or paragraph generation by AI
- •copying and pasting AI-generated text without attribution
Sources Verified
All sources checked (10)
Policy Sources:
- https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/personal-insight-questions.html
- https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/shaping-your-personal-narrative-piq-tips-and-more-uc-admissions-experts
- https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-the-university-of-california-evaluates-student-applications
Additional Sources Checked:
- https://admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/
- https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/how-apply
- https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/how-apply/how-complete-online-application
- https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/personal-insight-questions.html
- https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/
- https://www.writing.ucsb.edu/resources/faculty/ai-policy
- https://otl.ucsb.edu/tales/ai-101
Policy History
| Date | Permission | Disclosure | Enforcement | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-17 (current) | L2 | D3 | E2 | High |
| 2025-09-19 | L3 | D1 | E2 | High |
Additional Context
UCSB follows the UC system-wide admissions policy. The UC Statement of Integrity, signed by all applicants, explicitly permits AI for readability and editing assistance but requires content and final text to be the student's own. UC admissions runs plagiarism detection on PIQ responses. The Oct 2025 UC admissions article further clarifies that AI tools can help with structure and readability but the submitted work must be the applicant's own creation. UCSB's own admissions site has no campus-specific AI policy beyond the UC system-wide guidance. Reclassified from L3 to L2 because the UC Statement of Integrity explicitly allows AI for 'content and editing' and 'readability' assistance, which goes beyond brainstorming/outlining alone. Disclosure upgraded to D3 because applicants sign an attestation that explicitly references AI and restricts its use. Graduate admissions at UCSB has no separate AI policy found.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC Santa Barbara allow ChatGPT for essays?
Do I need to disclose AI use to UC Santa Barbara?
How does UC Santa Barbara check for AI?
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