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All University AI Policies

University of WashingtonAI Policy for Admissions

General Policy:Line-level editing allowedNo disclosure requiredManual review possible
  • PermissionCan you use AI?
    Line-level editing allowed
  • DisclosureMust you disclose AI use?
    No disclosure required
  • ComplianceHow is it verified?
    Manual review possible
01 What this means for your application

Generally safe

  • Ask AI to suggest clearer word choices or flag sentences that are hard to follow — light touch improvements are acceptable.
  • Use AI brainstorming tools to help you identify what topics or experiences you want to write about before you start drafting.
  • Have AI read your essay as a 'second set of eyes' to identify structural flow issues, the same way a friend or counselor might.

Things to Avoid

  • Do not use AI to draft your essay or generate any significant portion of your personal statement — this violates UW's core requirement that all writing be your own original work.
  • Avoid letting AI rewrite whole paragraphs or restructure your essay's content and arguments, even if you plan to lightly edit the output afterward.
  • Do not rely on AI so heavily that your personal voice disappears — UW reviewers and programs like MSDS and HCDE specifically note that AI-produced essays feel generic and unconvincing.
  • For the Informatics program, do not submit AI-generated text as your own — the program treats this as plagiarism, regardless of how much you edited it.
02 Policy evidence

  • “All writing in the application, including your essay/personal statement, must be your own original work.”

    Writing section - Office of Admissions

  • “If you choose to have a parent, counselor, tutor, friend or AI tool review your writing, it must be done responsibly and ethically”

    Writing section - Office of Admissions
03 Program-specific policies & specific guidelines

  • Informatics Program (iSchool)

    P2 • Line-level editing allowedD2 • Must disclose AI useC1 • Manual review possible

    “Did you use ChatGPT and/or similar tools in writing this essay? If so, please indicate how you used the tool(s).”

    View Source

    Applies to: application essays

  • Graduate Medical Education

    P2 • Line-level editing allowedD1 • Optional disclosureC1 • Manual review possible

    “Use AI to enhance your application, not replace your own work”

    View Source

    Applies to: residency/fellowship applications

Allowed Uses

  • reviewing/proofreading writing
  • grammar and spell check
  • line-level editing done responsibly and ethically

Not Allowed

  • submitting AI-generated content as original work
  • having AI write essays or substantial portions of essays
04 Sources verified

Confidence: HighLast verified: 2026-01-09
05 Policy summary

  • UW undergraduate admissions explicitly permits AI for reviewing and light editing of essays, but mandates that all written content remain the applicant's original work — placing it at a substantive-assistance-allowed but no-drafting standard.

  • University of Washington hub classification: (P2/D0/C1) — use program-specific pages when policies differ within the institution.

  • The MSDS program flags a practical concern: faculty reviewers report that AI-generated essays tend to read as vague and less persuasive, making heavy AI use a strategic liability even where it may not be explicitly prohibited.

06 Additional context

UW undergraduate admissions explicitly permits AI tools to 'review' writing but requires all work be the applicant's 'own original work,' placing it at (P2) (substantive assistance allowed but no wholesale drafting). The same language appears on the transfer personal statement page. No formal AI disclosure is required at the university level (D0), though the Informatics program requires disclosure (D2) and the GME program encourages it (D1). The Informatics program explicitly allows AI for word choice, grammar, and rephrasing a sentence or two, but considers submitting AI-generated output as plagiarism. The MSDS program notes faculty reviewers find AI-generated essays 'vague and less persuasive.' UW Graduate School has no AI-specific admissions policy. UW has no overarching university-wide AI policy per the College of Engineering guidance page.

07 Schools with similar policies

Stony Brook University

Line-level editing allowedNo disclosure requiredManual review possible

Emory University

Line-level editing allowedNo disclosure requiredManual review possible

Babson College

Line-level editing allowedNo disclosure requiredManual review possible

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