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All University AI Policies

University of Colorado BoulderAI Policy for Admissions

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

Generally safe

  • Treat the absence of an explicit AI policy as a reason to be conservative, not permissive; err on the side of full ownership of your writing.
  • Write your essays entirely in your own voice — CU Boulder's guidance consistently emphasizes authentic personal storytelling, so let your genuine perspective lead.
  • Use AI tools modestly for background research or to understand a prompt's intent, then step away before drafting your response.
  • Ask a trusted human — a teacher, counselor, or family member — to review your essay for clarity and grammar instead of relying on AI editing tools.

Things to Avoid

  • Do not rely on AI to generate the distinctive details and personal anecdotes that make an essay compelling; reviewers are looking for the real you, not a polished generic narrative.
  • Avoid submitting the same AI-polished essay to both general admission and any scholarship program — program-specific rules vary significantly at CU Boulder.
02 Policy evidence

  • “No AI-specific admissions essay policy found on CU Boulder undergraduate or graduate admissions website”

    First-Year - Apply

  • “No one can tell your story quite like you can”

    Ready? Set. Apply! Your need-to-know guide for the 2026 application season
03 Program-specific policies & specific guidelines

  • Norlin Scholars

    P4 • AI use prohibitedD0 • No disclosure requiredC2 • Uses screening tools

    “AI use is not permitted for Norlin scholarship prompts”

    View Source

    Applies to: scholarship essays

04 Sources verified

Confidence: HighLast verified: 2026-02-04
05 Policy summary

  • The Norlin Scholars scholarship program is a critical exception: it explicitly prohibits AI-generated essays and warns that suspected AI use may result in application disqualification — a significant policy tightening as of late 2025.

  • Leeds School of Business has no centralized AI stance on file, leaving MBA and business graduate applicants without program-specific guidance and making a conservative, AI-minimal approach the safest path.

  • The school's dominant admissions messaging centers on authentic voice and personal storytelling (e.g., 'No one can tell your story quite like you can'), signaling cultural resistance to AI-drafted content even without a formal rule.

  • CU Boulder has no explicit AI policy governing general undergraduate or graduate admissions essays — its admissions website, FAQs, and 2026 application guide are entirely silent on AI use.

06 Additional context

CU Boulder has no explicit AI policy for general undergraduate or graduate admissions essays. The admissions site, FAQs, essay writing guide, and 2026 application season guide make no mention of AI. General guidance emphasizes authentic voice and personal storytelling. The Norlin Scholars program is a notable exception: it explicitly prohibits AI use for scholarship essay prompts, stating applications may be disqualified if AI essays are suspected. This is a significant change from Sept 2025 when the Norlin program allowed AI for grammar/brainstorming. The Honor Code AI guidance applies only to enrolled students, not applicants. Compliance downgraded from (C1) to (C0) for general admissions since no AI-specific review signals were found; the prior (C1) was based on general voice-consistency language that does not explicitly reference AI.

07 Schools with similar policies

Trinity College (CT)

No explicit policyNo disclosure requiredNo compliance stated

Bowdoin College

No explicit policyNo disclosure requiredNo compliance stated

Rutgers University-Newark

No explicit policyNo disclosure requiredNo compliance stated

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