North Carolina State UniversityAI Policy for Admissions
- PermissionCan you use AI?Brainstorming only
- DisclosureMust you disclose AI use?Must attest no AI used
- ComplianceHow is it verified?Manual review possible
Generally safe
- Use AI tools to generate initial ideas or explore possible angles for your essays before you start writing — think of it as a digital brainstorming partner, not a ghostwriter.
- AI can help you organize a rough outline or logical flow for your personal statement, as long as the actual writing comes entirely from you.
- Running your completed, self-written draft through a spell-checker or grammar tool (like Grammarly) is generally acceptable — the MSA program at NC State explicitly endorses this use.
Things to Avoid
- Do not copy any text produced by an AI writing tool into your application — even a single polished sentence lifted from a chatbot output could violate NC State's attestation requirement.
- Avoid using AI to draft full paragraphs or essay sections that you then lightly edit and submit as your own work; this crosses the line from assistance into misrepresentation.
- Do not present AI-generated content as a reflection of your own thinking, experiences, or voice — admissions readers are looking for authenticity that AI cannot replicate.
- Steer clear of any workflow where AI does the substantive writing and you do the formatting; the expectation is that the ideas and language originate with you.
- Verified Feb 2025
“there is no official university-wide policy regarding AI use”
AI in the classroom | AI Research and Instruction Guide | NC State University Libraries - Verified Feb 2026
“GenAI tools can help prevent distracting spelling and grammatical errors”
Application Pro-Tip: Make a Statement | Master of Science in Analytics - Verified 2023-08-24
“any attempt to shortcut that training such as using AI to write an essay is fundamentally cheating their future selves”
ChatGPT (and Other Generative AI Tools) at NC State | Office for Faculty Excellence
Master of Science in Analytics (Institute for Advanced Analytics)
P2 • Line-level editing allowedD0 • No disclosure requiredC0 • No compliance stated“GenAI tools can help prevent distracting spelling and grammatical errors”
View SourceApplies to: personal statement
Graduate School (Theses and Dissertations)
P1 • AI use permittedD2 • Must disclose AI useC0 • No compliance stated“A clear and thorough description of whether and how tools from Generative Artificial Intelligence were used”
View SourceApplies to: thesis, dissertation
Allowed Uses
- brainstorming ideas
- structuring thoughts
- grammar/spell check
Not Allowed
- submitting language directly from AI platform
- AI-generated paragraphs or sentences
- claiming AI work as original
- https://admissions.ncsu.edu/apply/first-year/
- https://admissions.ncsu.edu/connect/frequently-asked-questions/
- https://admissions.ncsu.edu/2025/07/31/admission-updates-for-2026-applicants/
- https://admissions.ncsu.edu/apply/
- https://admissions.ncsu.edu/apply/fast-facts/
- https://admissions.ncsu.edu/2023/09/14/admission-updates-for-2024-applicants/
- https://ai.ncsu.edu/
- https://provost.ncsu.edu/ofe/navigating-the-landscape-of-higher-education-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence/
- https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/artificial-intelligence/instruction
- https://provost.ncsu.edu/ofe/2023/08/24/chatgpt-and-other-generative-ai-tools-at-nc-state/
- https://analytics.ncsu.edu/?page_id=14457
- https://catalog.ncsu.edu/graduate/graduate-handbook/theses-dissertations/
- https://teaching-resources.delta.ncsu.edu/develop-an-ai-syllabus-statement/
North Carolina State University hub classification: (P3/D3/C1) — use program-specific pages when policies differ within the institution.
NC State previously published explicit admissions essay AI guidance (documented Sept 2023) permitting AI only for brainstorming and structuring thoughts, while prohibiting submission of AI-generated language — this stance is no longer visible on the public admissions site as of early 2026, creating meaningful ambiguity.
An attestation affirming that application materials were not created by another person or by a generative AI system was reported as part of the application process; it may still exist within the Common App or Coalition App interface but cannot be verified on a public NC State page.
NC State has no official university-wide AI policy per its own Libraries guidance (Feb 2025), meaning applicants cannot rely on a single authoritative source — program-level rules vary, making it essential to check individual program pages.
NC State previously had explicit AI admissions essay guidance on admissions.ncsu.edu/apply/first-year/ (documented in Sept 2023 by GovTech and AB(C1)1 news), encouraging AI only for brainstorming/structuring thoughts and prohibiting submission of AI-generated language. An attestation ('My application materials were not created by another person or by a generative artificial intelligence system') was reportedly part of the application. As of Feb 2026, this language is no longer visible on the public-facing admissions website. The NC State Libraries page confirms 'there is no official university-wide policy regarding AI use' as of Feb 2025. The attestation may still exist within the Common App or Coalition App application interface but cannot be verified on a public .edu page. Compliance downgraded from (C3) to (C1): no evidence of proctored writing samples or AI detection tools for admissions; NC State uses AI to summarize application data but human readers review essays. MSA program explicitly allows GenAI for grammar/spell check on personal statements. Graduate School requires AI Authorship Statement for theses/dissertations. Confidence is Med because the admissions-specific AI language is no longer publicly visible on the admissions website, though the attestation may persist in the application platform.
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