Amherst CollegeAI Policy for Admissions
- PermissionCan you use AI?No explicit policy
- DisclosureMust you disclose AI use?No disclosure required
- ComplianceHow is it verified?No compliance stated
Quick Answer: Can you use AI at Amherst College?
Amherst College has no explicit admissions policy addressing the use of AI or generative tools in application materials, meaning applicants receive no formal guidance on what is or is not permitted.
Disclosure: Amherst College does not require applicants to disclose whether AI tools were used in preparing any part of their application, as no such requirement appears on the admissions website.
Compliance: Amherst College has stated no compliance mechanism or verification process related to AI use in applications, though the college broadly emphasizes originality and personal voice in submitted writing.
Generally safe
- If submitting Option B (a graded paper), make sure the work is genuinely yours and was produced under normal academic conditions — do not revise it using AI.
- Have a trusted person, such as a teacher or counselor, review your writing to ensure it authentically reflects your own thinking and analytical style.
- Write your essays and writing supplement entirely in your own voice — this is the strongest approach given Amherst's emphasis on original, personal responses.
Things to Avoid
- Do not use AI to draft or significantly rewrite your personal essays or writing supplement responses, even partially — Amherst's reviewers are evaluating your authentic voice.
- Avoid submitting work for Option B that was produced or substantially enhanced with AI assistance, as this would misrepresent the academic work being evaluated.
- Do not assume that silence on AI policy means it is acceptable — the college's language around originality implies that submitted work should be genuinely your own.
- Avoid over-polishing your writing with generative tools in ways that strip away your personal perspective, which is precisely what Amherst's readers are looking for.
- Verified Feb 2026
“No AI-specific admissions essay policy found on admissions website”
Information about the Writing Supplement | First-Year Applicants | Amherst College - Verified Feb 2026
“Amherst is looking for original, personal responses”
Information about the Writing Supplement | First-Year Applicants | Amherst College
- https://www.amherst.edu/admission/apply
- https://www.amherst.edu/admission/apply/firstyear
- https://www.amherst.edu/admission/apply/firstyear/writingsupplement
- https://www.amherst.edu/admission/apply/firstyear/writingsupplement/optionb-faq
- https://www.amherst.edu/admission/apply/firstyear/calendar_deadlines
- https://www.amherst.edu/admission/apply/transfer
- https://www.amherst.edu/offices/student-affairs/community-standards/intellectual-responsibility-and-plagiarism/ai-white-paper
- https://www.amherst.edu/offices/it/academic-technology-services/tlt/amherst-ai/genai-task-force
- https://www.amherst.edu/offices/it/academic-technology-services/tlt/amherst-ai/genai-tools/ac-genai-recommendations
- https://careers.amherst.edu/resources/artificial-intelligence-and-career-development/
Prospective applicants should default to full originality: the lack of explicit permission, combined with Amherst's strong emphasis on authentic personal writing, strongly favors submitting entirely self-authored work.
Amherst College has no admissions-specific AI policy — the writing supplement page asks for 'original, personal responses' but never references AI, ChatGPT, or generative tools.
Amherst does not appear on any major admissions policy hub, meaning no external governing stance or platform guidance applies to its application process.
The college has active campus-wide GenAI policies for enrolled students (including a task force and faculty resources), but none of these extend to or address prospective applicant materials.
The Loeb Center career office advises outgoing students to check AI policies when applying elsewhere — an ironic gap given that Amherst itself has issued no equivalent guidance for incoming applicants.
Amherst College has no explicit admissions-specific AI policy. The writing supplement page asks for 'original, personal responses' but does not mention AI, ChatGPT, or generative tools. The college has robust campus-wide GenAI policies for enrolled students (task force, community standards, faculty resources) but none reference admissions materials. The Loeb Center career office advises students to check AI policies when applying to jobs and grad schools, but this applies to outgoing applications, not incoming admissions. Provost discussed AI's impact on education in September 2025 campus newspaper article, but no admissions-specific guidance was announced.
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