Health Application AI Policies: 12 Services Checked

Health Application AI Policies: 12 Services Checked

We checked 12 health application services on November 7, 2026. Five name AI in public (PharmCAS, PTCAS, CASPA, CASAA and the AAMC's ERAS guidance), six never use the word, and one, AMCAS, we could not verify because the AAMC site blocked our automated check.

The word "AI" is not what decides what you may do. The verbs do. PharmCAS lets you use AI tools "for proofreading or editing." CASPA accepts spelling and grammar correction. PTCAS bars "artificial intelligence (AI) text generators" for the content of your essay. The six silent services use "third party", "assistance from others" or plagiarism wording, and none of their pages grants an AI permission. When you are ready to draft, get a personal statement review on the essay you are writing for the service with the strictest rule on your list.

Every page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. Liaison help-center pages state no cycle year; where a page names a cycle, the table says so. The certification inside each application is the text you sign, so read it there before you sign.

The table: what each service lets you use AI for

Our arithmetic: five services name AI (ERAS, CASPA, PTCAS, PharmCAS, CASAA), six do not (TMDSAS, AACOMAS, OTCAS, ADEA AADSAS, VMCAS, NursingCAS), and AMCAS is unverified. Five plus six plus one is twelve.

Services that name AI, and the verb each allows

PharmCAS. The PharmCAS personal essay page says: "Although you may use mentors, peers, advisors, and/or artificial intelligence (AI) tools or other online resources for proofreading or editing, your final submission is a true reflection of your own work and represents your individual ideas, thoughts, and experiences." Two verbs, and the ideas must be yours. The full decode is in PharmCAS AI policy for the personal essay.

CASPA. The PAEA Policies and Procedures (effective October 25, 2025, for the 2026–2027 cycle) carry this certification: "I certify that all written content in my CASPA application is my own work. This includes, but is not limited to, personal statements, essays, and descriptions of work, educational activities, and events." It then accepts AI tools for nonsubstantive changes "such as correction of spelling and grammar," and adds: "It is my responsibility to review and abide by the institutional policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence tools to any program to which I apply." Clause by clause: CASPA AI certification decoded.

PTCAS. The PTCAS application prep page certification reads: "I certify that my the content of my personal statement (essay) is original and composed in its entirety solely by me with no assistance from other individuals beyond providing feedback on my drafts. Further, I certify that I have not used any artificial intelligence (AI) text generators … or other online sources for the content of my personal statement." ("my the content" is in the source.) The same page lists "Compose a personal essay without assistance from others." as an applicant responsibility. More in what the PTCAS AI certification bans.

CASAA. The CASAA release statement page lists an "Artificial Intelligence Essay Generator Release" with one instruction: "Select the checkbox to indicate you understand and accept the statement." The statement itself is shown only inside the application, so read it there before you check the box.

ERAS. The AMA's September 9, 2026 article on AI in residency applications quotes AAMC personal-statement guidance: "the use of AI tools is acceptable for brainstorming, proofreading or editing the personal statement, but the final submission should represent your own work." We could not open the AAMC's own page that day, so this row rests on the AMA's quotation. Residency readers: can residency programs detect AI.

Our view: these five lists are not interchangeable. Brainstorming appears only in the ERAS guidance. PharmCAS stops at proofreading and editing. CASPA stops at spelling and grammar. PTCAS allows feedback from people and bars AI text generators for content. Pick the verb from the service you are filing with, not from a forum post about a different one.

Services that never say "AI" in public

TMDSAS. The certification page reads in full: "I further certify that all written passages, such as the personal statement, optional essays, essays required of dual-degree applicants, and descriptions of employment/activities are my own and have not been composed or generated by a third party. Quotations are permitted if the source is cited."

ADEA AADSAS, CAAPID, DHCAS and PASS. The ADEA CAS applicant agreement says your written passages "are your own and are not written, in part or in whole, by a third party." The full agreement text and the dental decode are in AADSAS AI policy.

VMCAS. The VMCAS 2027 applicant guide says: "All application content must be original and honestly represent your experiences. By agreeing to follow the VMCAS code of conduct, you certify that you have not received assistance from others beyond editing and feedback on your application’s content."

AACOMAS and OTCAS. The AACOMAS personal statement page and the OTCAS documents page carry the same single line under "Use your own words": "Plagiarizing any part of your essay is a violation of the code of conduct and may subject you to sanctions." AACOMAS's release statement page adds that its certifications are "a contractual agreement between you and AACOMAS" and that "These terms indicate that you agree to all content in the AACOMAS Applicant Help Center". The certification text itself is shown inside the application.

NursingCAS. The NursingCAS release statement page says only that the statement "serves as a contractual agreement between you and NursingCAS." Essays live under each program's materials, so the program sets the rule. Program rules are compared in nursing school AI policies.

Our reading, not any service's statement: "composed or generated by a third party" (TMDSAS) and "written, in part or in whole, by a third party" (ADEA) describe who produced the words, not which tool. Text an AI tool wrote for you is text you did not compose, so it falls inside both sentences. VMCAS's "assistance from others beyond editing and feedback" is less clear, because "others" may mean people. AACOMAS and OTCAS publish no authorship rule beyond plagiarism, and the binding certifications sit inside the applications. The countercase: if a service publishes an AI clause next cycle, that clause replaces our reading. Reread before you sign.

Which services say they scan

Only one public page we checked says an essay may be screened for AI: the PharmCAS essay page, which says the essay "may undergo a textual similarity review" for plagiarism and generative AI.

The others describe investigations, not scans:

• CASPA: "PAEA will not initiate a CASPA investigation where the sole basis for the investigation request is that an AI detection tool tagged a personal statement or evaluation submitted in CASPA." The same section says some software "may incorrectly flag genuine human-written text as having been created by AI." The research behind it is in what PAEA says about AI detection.
• ADEA: the agreement gives ADEA and your designated schools a "Right to Investigate" application information.
• TMDSAS: "application irregularities are documented by TMDSAS and member schools and are reported to the Association of American Medical Colleges, American Dental Education Association, American Association of Osteopathic Medicine, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, American Podiatric Medical Association, and other appropriate professional organizations."
• AMCAS: the AAMC publishes an investigations chapter. We could not open it on November 7, 2026, so we do not quote it.

AACOMAS, OTCAS, PTCAS, VMCAS, NursingCAS and CASAA publish no scan or investigation wording on the pages we checked.

Applying across two services: follow the stricter verb

If you file with two services in one cycle, each document answers to the service it is filed with, and the same sentences pasted into a second service answer to that service's rule too.

Our recommendation: write one rule at the top of your drafts folder, the strictest verb across every service you file with, and hold every essay to it. The countercase: if you file with only one service, its own verb is the whole rule, and borrowing a stricter one costs you nothing but time.

Questions about health application AI rules

Does TMDSAS check for AI?

TMDSAS's certification bars written passages "composed or generated by a third party" and says irregularities are documented and reported. It describes no AI scan.

Does OTCAS check for AI?

The public OTCAS documents page carries a plagiarism line and nothing about AI. The certification is shown inside the application.

Does NursingCAS check for AI?

NursingCAS publishes no AI wording. Essays are program requirements, so each nursing program sets the rule.

What is the AACOMAS AI policy?

The public AACOMAS pages do not mention AI. The essay page bars plagiarism, and the release page says you agree to all content in the AACOMAS Applicant Help Center. The certification text is inside the application.

What is the VMCAS AI policy?

The 2027 VMCAS guide does not mention AI. It certifies "you have not received assistance from others beyond editing and feedback on your application’s content." For plagiarism specifically, see which services say they scan for plagiarism.

proposed: "For paid editors and coaches under the same lines, see whether a medical school consultant is ethical." (closing)

Get a free review of your personal statement

Get a free Quick Review of your personal statement against GradPilot's AMCAS personal statement rubric. It reads for an experience-grounded case for medicine, what you did and learned in clinical work, reflection, and a coherent theme. Applying DO? Use the AACOMAS personal statement rubric. Applying to OT school? Use the OTCAS personal statement rubric. Every other track's rubric is in the rubric catalog.

More AI-rule guides:

• Can you use AI for your medical school application?: the MD, DO, PA and Texas primary applications compared.
• Can med schools tell AI wrote your secondary?: secondaries, the one in-office study, and a self-check.
• Medical school essays hub: every guide in one place.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• AAMC, AMCAS certification statements and investigations: linked for readers; not verified (automated check blocked, HTTP 403).
• AMA, How to use AI in residency applications (September 9, 2026): AAMC personal-statement guidance as quoted.
• TMDSAS, Application Certification (EY2027): written-passages certification and irregularities reporting.
• Liaison, AACOMAS Personal Statement and AACOMAS Release Statement: plagiarism line; contractual agreement to Help Center content.
• PAEA, Policies & Procedures for the PAEA Admissions Suite of Products (effective October 25, 2025; 2026–2027 cycle): CASPA certification and AI-detection investigation rule.
• APTA, PTCAS application prep: PTCAS certification and applicant responsibilities.
• Liaison, OTCAS Documents: plagiarism line.
• Liaison, PharmCAS Personal Essay: AI permission and textual similarity review.
• ADEA, ADEA CAS Policies and Applicant Release Statements: third-party wording and right to investigate.
• AAVMC, VMCAS 2027 Applicant Guide: editing-and-feedback certification.
• Liaison, NursingCAS Release Statement: contractual agreement; no public AI wording.
• Liaison, CASAA Release Statement: AI essay generator release.