University of Maryland-College ParkAI Policy for Admissions
- PermissionCan you use AI?No explicit policy
- DisclosureMust you disclose AI use?No disclosure required
- ComplianceHow is it verified?Uses screening tools
Quick Answer: Can you use AI at University of Maryland-College Park?
University of Maryland-College Park has no explicit admissions policy addressing AI use in application materials, meaning there is no formal guidance permitting or prohibiting AI assistance for prospective applicants.
Disclosure: University of Maryland-College Park does not require applicants to disclose whether AI tools were used in preparing application materials, as no disclosure requirement is currently in place.
Compliance: University of Maryland-College Park uses TurnItIn for Admissions across multiple graduate departments to authenticate submitted materials, which includes AI writing detection capabilities — meaning submitted writing may be screened even without a publicized policy.
Generally safe
- Treat UMD's essay as an opportunity to demonstrate your personality and fit with the campus community, which is best conveyed through original, personal writing.
- Write your essays entirely in your own voice, drawing on genuine personal experiences and reflections that only you can provide.
Things to Avoid
- Do not use AI to paraphrase or reword your writing in ways that obscure your natural voice, which may create inconsistencies that raise integrity concerns.
- Do not assume the absence of a published policy means AI-generated content is acceptable — the use of TurnItIn for Admissions signals that authenticity is actively monitored.
- Avoid submitting any essay or personal statement that was drafted, rewritten, or substantially edited by an AI writing tool, as detection screening may flag it.
- Verified Feb 2026
“No AI-specific admissions essay policy found on undergraduate admissions website”
Essay Questions - UMD Office of Undergraduate Admissions - Verified Feb 2026
“the University of Maryland authenticates submitted materials through TurnItIn for Admissions”
Graduate Admissions - Department of English - Verified Feb 2026
“To ensure the integrity of the application process, the University of Maryland authenticates submitted materials”
Graduate Admissions - Department of Communication
- https://admissions.umd.edu/apply
- https://admissions.umd.edu/apply/application-faqs
- https://admissions.umd.edu/apply/freshman-application-faqs
- https://gradschool.umd.edu/admissions
- https://gradschool.umd.edu/admissions/admissions-requirements/graduate-admissions-statement-purpose
- https://ai.umd.edu/resources-guidelines/guidelines-for-use
- https://ai-resources.umd.edu/resources/guidelines
- https://chbe.umd.edu/graduate/prospective-students/admissions
- https://history.umd.edu/academics/graduate/admissions
University of Maryland-College Park hub classification: (P0/D0/C2) — use program-specific pages when policies differ within the institution.
No explicit AI admissions policy exists for undergraduate or graduate applicants at University of Maryland-College Park — the campus-wide GenAI guidelines at ai.umd.edu apply only to current students, faculty, and staff.
Despite the policy silence, UMD actively uses TurnItIn for Admissions across multiple graduate departments to authenticate submitted materials, and TurnItIn's platform includes AI writing detection — making this a meaningful compliance mechanism.
Undergraduate admissions pages (including the essay questions page) are entirely silent on AI, leaving prospective freshmen without any official guidance but still potentially subject to screening practices.
UMD has no admissions-specific AI policy for either undergraduate or graduate applicants. The undergraduate admissions essay page and FAQs are silent on AI. UMD's campus-wide GenAI guidelines (ai.umd.edu) apply to current faculty, staff, students, and affiliates but do not explicitly cover prospective applicants. However, multiple graduate department admissions pages state that UMD uses TurnItIn for Admissions to authenticate submitted materials and ensure application integrity. TurnItIn includes AI writing detection capabilities, which constitutes a screening tool (C2). This TurnItIn usage is consistent across many graduate departments but is not mentioned on undergraduate admissions pages. Compliance upgraded from (C0) to (C2) based on TurnItIn for Admissions discovery.
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