Undergraduate Admissions Statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Members of the Yale Admissions Committee review the written components of an application to better understand an individual’s unique perspective, background, and insights related to their experiences and aspirations. Successful applications showcase a prospective student’s mind and character, demonstrating much more than merely fluent or cogent writing.
To protect the integrity of the selection process, the Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions adheres to the Common Application’s Policy on Application Fraud, and applicants confirm several affirmation statements, including that all information submitted is the applicant’s “own work, factually true, and honestly presented.”
As detailed in the above statements, it is Yale’s policy that submitting “the substantive content or output of an artificial intelligence platform, technology, or algorithm” constitutes application fraud. Submitting personal statements or other written application responses composed by text-generating software may result in admission revocation or expulsion.
Using an AI platform to review one’s grammar or spelling, or to seek general advice or topic suggestions at the start of the writing process does not constitute application fraud. Some applicants may find AI tools useful in these ways; others may not.
For more insights on artificial intelligence and college applications, listen to the “Inside the Yale Admissions Office” podcast episode linked below.
AI and College Essays: Wrong Question, Wrong Answer
The sudden availability of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have raised new questions about authorship, plagiarism, and fairness in college admissions. Hannah and Mark discuss why they think these tools are unlikely to help applicants gain an advantage in Yale’s selection process and why questions about generative-AI are the wrong starting point for understanding how to compose an effective college essay. LLMs can appear very knowledgeable, but they are inevitably ignorant of the foundation of any successful application: the unique person applying. Transcript