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All University AI Policies

Washington University in St. LouisAI 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

  • Run your essays through spell-check tools or AI-assisted proofreading software to catch typos and mechanical errors.
  • Share your personal drafts with editing platforms for surface-level feedback, provided the underlying content stays authentically yours.
  • Use AI tools to tighten sentence structure or improve the flow of passages you have already written yourself.

Things to Avoid

  • Avoid submitting any essay where AI wrote full sentences, paragraphs, or structured arguments on your behalf.
  • If applying to DBBS, be especially cautious: the program goes further than undergraduate admissions and states outright that AI should not author your essays in any capacity.
  • Do not treat AI-produced text as a starting draft that you lightly edit — this crosses into authorship territory the school explicitly discourages.
02 Policy evidence
03 Program-specific policies & specific guidelines

  • Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS)

    P3 • Brainstorming onlyD0 • No disclosure requiredC0 • No compliance stated

    “You should not use AI tools like ChatGPT to author your essays”

    View Source

    Applies to: application essays

  • Fellowships & Scholarships Office

    P3 • Brainstorming onlyD1 • Optional disclosureC0 • No compliance stated

    “We recommend that you avoid the use of GenAI when preparing your written materials”

    View Source

    Applies to: written materials

Allowed Uses

  • spelling checks
  • clarity edits
  • grammar correction
  • sharing essays with editing or AI tools for proofreading

Not Allowed

  • using AI as the main source of essay content
  • having AI author your essays
  • AI-generated paragraphs or substantial essay content
04 Sources verified

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

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

  • Undergraduate admissions permits AI for editing and surface-level enhancement but explicitly discourages it as the primary content source, signaling that essays must genuinely reflect the applicant's own writing ability.

  • The DBBS graduate program takes a stricter stance, stating applicants should not use AI tools like ChatGPT to author essays at all — grammar checkers are acceptable, but content generation is not.

  • The Fellowships Office goes furthest, recommending that applicants avoid generative AI entirely when preparing written materials, and may ask applicants to disclose resources used upon request.

  • Medical applicants via AMCAS benefit from a platform-level policy permitting AI for brainstorming and proofreading, but the final submission must be the applicant's own work per a signed certification.

06 Additional context

WashU's undergraduate admissions explicitly allows AI tools for spelling and clarity editing but discourages AI as the main content source, mapping to (P2). The DBBS graduate program is stricter, stating applicants 'should not use AI tools like ChatGPT to author your essays' while allowing grammar tools (P3). The Fellowships Office recommends avoiding GenAI entirely and notes applicants must indicate resources used upon request (D1 disclosure). The overall university-level policy upgraded from (P1) to (P2) based on clearer reading of 'discourage' language combined with 'should accurately represent your writing skills.' No formal AI detection or verification process mentioned (C1 based on implied review for voice/authenticity).

07 Schools with similar policies

Macalester College

Line-level editing allowedNo disclosure requiredManual review possible

Stony Brook University

Line-level editing allowedNo disclosure requiredManual review possible

University of Rochester

Line-level editing allowedNo disclosure requiredManual review possible

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