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All University AI Policies

Northwestern UniversityAI Policy for Admissions

General Policy:Brainstorming onlyNo disclosure requiredNo compliance stated
  • PermissionCan you use AI?
    Brainstorming only
  • DisclosureMust you disclose AI use?
    No disclosure required
  • ComplianceHow is it verified?
    No compliance stated
01 What this means for your application

Generally safe

  • Use AI to spark ideas about what essay topics might best represent your story — then write the actual essays yourself.
  • Run your finished essays through an AI tool to catch typos, grammar issues, or punctuation errors before submitting.
  • Leverage AI to learn about Northwestern's programs, campus culture, and admissions terminology as you research your fit.
  • Use AI to help you think through which academic interests or extracurriculars to highlight — just keep the final words your own.

Things to Avoid

  • Do not use any AI tool to draft, complete, or substantially write your personal statement or supplemental essays.
  • Do not feed an essay outline into an AI system and submit what it produces, even if you edit the output afterward.
  • Do not use AI to translate an essay you originally wrote in another language into English for submission.
02 Policy evidence
03 Program-specific policies & specific guidelines

  • The Graduate School (TGS)

    P3 • Brainstorming onlyD3 • Must attest no AI usedC1 • Manual review possible

    “the TGS application will require your attestation that all substantive written application materials are your own personal work and not the product of generative AI”

    View Source

    Applies to: personal statement, application essays, writing samples

Allowed Uses

  • brainstorming essay topics
  • grammar/punctuation/spelling review
  • researching colleges and admission terms
  • exploring academic interests

Not Allowed

  • using generative AI to write personal statement or supplemental essays
  • submitting AI output as your own writing
  • translating an essay written in another language
  • providing AI with an essay outline and submitting AI-completed writing
  • using AI to rework a supplemental essay written for one school for another
04 Sources verified

Confidence: HighLast verified: 2026-01-24
05 Policy summary

  • Northwestern frames its AI policy around equity, acknowledging AI can be a useful equalizer for students with limited college-prep resources, while still insisting the final application voice must be authentically the applicant's own.

  • Northwestern Undergraduate Admissions updated its dedicated AI guidance page (9/23/25), explicitly permitting AI for brainstorming and grammar/spelling review but prohibiting AI-generated writing, translation, or essay reworking — with no required disclosure mechanism.

  • The Graduate School (TGS) takes a stricter stance: applicants must sign a formal attestation certifying materials are not AI-generated, and admission can be revoked for violations — a notably higher compliance bar than undergraduate.

06 Additional context

Northwestern upgraded from (P0) to (P3). Undergraduate admissions now has a dedicated AI guidance page (updated 9/23/25) explicitly allowing brainstorming and grammar/spelling review but prohibiting AI-generated writing, translation, or reworking essays. No formal disclosure or compliance mechanism at the undergraduate level. The Graduate School (TGS) has a stricter policy with a formal attestation (D3) requiring applicants to certify materials are not the product of generative AI, with admission revocation as a consequence. Kellogg MBA and Northwestern Law admissions pages do not have publicly posted AI-specific policies. The career advancement office notes most law schools prohibit AI in applications but this is general guidance, not Northwestern-specific policy.

07 Schools with similar policies

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Brainstorming onlyNo disclosure requiredNo compliance stated

Haverford College

Brainstorming onlyNo disclosure requiredNo compliance stated

Tufts University

Brainstorming onlyNo disclosure requiredNo compliance stated

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