Duke UniversityAI Policy for Admissions
- PermissionCan you use AI?AI use permitted
- DisclosureMust you disclose AI use?No disclosure required
- ComplianceHow is it verified?No compliance stated
Generally safe
- Run your drafts through AI-powered grammar and spelling tools to polish language before submitting.
- Ask an AI to help you reorganize or rephrase sections of your personal statement, as long as the underlying ideas and experiences are genuinely yours.
Things to Avoid
- Do not submit AI-generated writing as your own if you are applying to Duke Law (JD, LLM, or SJD) — that program explicitly bans generative AI in all written application materials, regardless of the undergraduate office's more relaxed stance.
- If applying to Duke Nursing, avoid letting AI produce the core content of your application — brainstorming and proofreading are acceptable, but all substantive writing must reflect your own voice and words.
- Even where AI is permitted, avoid producing an essay that reads as generic or impersonal — Duke has stated it cares about content and authentic student experience, not polished presentation.
- Verified 2025-08-29
“We don't think of [AI] as an inherently bad tool for students to use”
In transition: Duke admissions office adjusts essay prompts, operations - The Duke Chronicle - Verified 2025-08-29
“AI can only write about what the students put into it”
In transition: Duke admissions office adjusts essay prompts, operations - The Duke Chronicle - Verified 2025-08-29
“more interested in the content of the essays rather than their presentation”
In transition: Duke admissions office adjusts essay prompts, operations - The Duke Chronicle - Verified 2024-02-20
“We're just no longer assuming that the essay is an accurate reflection of the student's actual writing ability”
Duke no longer giving numerical rating to standardized testing, essays in undergraduate admissions - The Duke Chronicle
Duke Law School (LLM)
P4 • AI use prohibitedD3 • Must attest no AI usedC0 • No compliance stated“All written products must be your own work without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence”
View SourceApplies to: personal statement, written products
Duke Law School (SJD)
P4 • AI use prohibitedD3 • Must attest no AI usedC0 • No compliance stated“All written product must be your own work without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence”
View SourceApplies to: personal statement, written products
Duke Law School (JD)
P4 • AI use prohibitedD3 • Must attest no AI usedC0 • No compliance stated“the ideas and expressions originated with you, and you wrote all drafts and the final product without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence”
View SourceApplies to: personal statement, short answer essays, optional essays
Duke School of Nursing (MSN, DNP, MN)
P2 • Line-level editing allowedD3 • Must attest no AI usedC0 • No compliance stated“Generative AI tools can be helpful for brainstorming, refining ideas, or proofreading but all application materials must reflect the applicant's own words”
View SourceApplies to: application materials, written statements
Allowed Uses
- AI-assisted drafting
- grammar/spell check
- brainstorming
- paraphrasing
- line editing
- https://admissions.duke.edu/apply/
- https://admissions.duke.edu/what-we-look-for/
- https://admissions.duke.edu/resources/
- https://law.duke.edu/internat/llm/appinformation
- https://law.duke.edu/internat/sjd/appinformation
- https://law.duke.edu/apply/degreeprograms/jd
- https://law.duke.edu/apply/faq
- https://nursing.duke.edu/admissions/
- https://nursing.duke.edu/academic-programs/msn-master-science-nursing/msn-admissions
- https://gradschool.duke.edu/admissions/
Duke University hub classification: (P1/D0/C0) — use program-specific pages when policies differ within the institution.
Duke undergraduate admissions has adopted one of the most explicitly permissive stances among top universities: Interim Dean Kathy Phillips stated AI is not 'an inherently bad tool,' and the office removed numerical essay scoring in 2024 partly in response to AI's prevalence — earning a (P1/D0/C0) classification.
Duke Law (JD, LLM, SJD) sits at the opposite extreme, explicitly prohibiting generative AI in all written application components — applicants must treat Duke Law as a strict no-AI program regardless of what the undergraduate office allows.
Duke Nursing occupies a middle ground: AI-assisted brainstorming and proofreading are permitted, but the final content must be written entirely in the applicant's own words.
For medical school applicants routing through AMCAS, the governing platform permits AI for brainstorming, proofreading, and editing, with the certification statement each applicant signs serving as the primary accountability mechanism — Duke's own medical school has not layered additional restrictions on record.
Duke's undergraduate admissions stance shifted significantly. Interim Dean Kathy Phillips stated Duke does not view AI as 'an inherently bad tool for students to use' and is more interested in essay content than presentation. Duke removed numerical essay scoring in 2024 partly due to AI prevalence. The 2025-2026 cycle introduced an optional AI-themed supplemental essay prompt. The admissions office also told schools they 'don't have an objection' to teachers/counselors using AI for recommendation letters. Program-specific policies are much stricter: Duke Law (JD, LLM, SJD) explicitly prohibits generative AI in all written application materials, while Duke Nursing allows brainstorming and proofreading with AI but requires content to be in the applicant's own words. The main admissions website (admissions.duke.edu) contains no explicit AI restrictions for undergraduate applicants. Level changed from (P2) to (P1) based on Phillips's explicit statements indicating permissive stance. The Duke Graduate School has no admissions-specific AI policy.
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