How Can Schools Manage AI in Admissions?

• 07/11/24

AI isn't going anywhere — and the ways applicants leverage these tools will only continue to expand. As the landscape evolves, institutions need a strategy that provides transparent, practical, and consistent guidelines in the admissions process and beyond.

Revamping Admissions Policies for the AI Era

We are only at the beginning of understanding and governing AI tools. You may not yet have all the answers to important questions and concerns, but working through these challenges is an opportunity for learning.

Admissions leaders can rethink and revamp policies to better reflect AI technology's challenges and capabilities. While each institution needs to consider its own strategy, the following considerations can help keep admissions processes in line with today's digital landscape.

1) Set clear, consistent expectations from admissions to graduation. Admissions are the first touchpoint students have with your institution. By providing clear, transparent expectations and guidelines regarding the use of AI from the start, you can set students up for success — ensuring applicants understand what is acceptable and what constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Policies should also remain generally consistent across the entire institution. Admissions leaders can learn from faculty, department heads, deans, and other academic leaders who have already implemented rules and policies regarding AI use in classrooms, syllabuses, and elsewhere.

At many institutions, there may be inconsistencies among policies that define what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, and misuse of AI tools in essays and written materials. But institutions are also seeing growing consensus and best practices develop around academic honesty and AI — and consistent expectations will avoid confusion and misunderstandings for students, faculty, and administrators alike.

2) Develop expertise among your own admissions teams. By gaining firsthand experience with these tools, admissions teams can better govern and manage how applicants use AI (both ethically and not). With a better understanding of generative AI capabilities and limitations, they can make more informed decisions about how applicants should take advantage of these tools.

A better understanding of AI also helps increase efficiency and expand the capacity of overstretched admissions teams. With AI, teams can quickly sort through large volumes of applications, categorizing them based on predefined criteria such as GPA, test scores, and extracurricular involvement. They might also leverage predictive analytics to help gauge which admitted students are most likely to accept an offer of admission to improve enrollment management and planning.

Most institutions are already starting this process. Half of admissions offices in a 2023 survey reported using AI to review applications. In 2024, 80% said they would integrate AI into review processes.

3) Integrate more holistic admissions practices. Traditional application metrics are in desperate need of an update. Personal statements, essays, and recommendation letters provided low reliability even before AI. Students have gained a significant advantage by relying on family or friends to help them draft and refine personal statements — and that was before ChatGPT, Bard, or other AI tools entered the mix. Other traditional inputs like standardized testing also introduce substantial bias and disadvantages for students. 

The challenges and considerations of AI further underscore the need for holistic admissions practices that assess the full range of an applicant's life experiences, capabilities, and potential. Rather than relying solely on test scores and essays, admissions leaders can also take into account soft skills like communication, teamwork, and creative thinking to make better decisions about students who bring diverse skills, experiences, and talents to campus.

Admissions Serve as an AI Learning Moment

Admissions is a critical starting point in a student's academic journey. Guiding and supporting the responsible and ethical use of AI tools helps prepare students for the rest of their academic and professional careers — it's among the first of many educational moments they will experience at your institution.

Clear, consistent admissions policies take into account the nuances and complexities of AI and the application process. Updating admissions policies empowers you to uphold academic integrity while setting your students — and your institution — up for success in the era of AI.