Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the college application landscape, extending beyond essay writing to influencing strategic decisions about extracurricular activities and college selection. A recent survey by education research firm EAB indicates a significant rise in AI usage among high school students and their parents in the college admissions process. Between the spring of this year and the previous one, the percentage of high school students utilizing AI for their college applications jumped from 26% to 46%. Parents are engaging with AI even more, with 57% of those surveyed employing the technology to guide their children through the application process.
Chris Rim, CEO and founder of college admissions consultancy Command Education, expressed concern that this widespread use of AI could homogenize applicants. He noted that parents are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to predict their child's chances of admission, treating the process as more analytical than artful. This reliance on AI often results in applicants receiving similar, sometimes clichéd, advice, such as joining a robotics club for aspiring engineering students.
"I can now tell when parents have used LLMs to prepare for a call with me, because they’re saying exactly the same thing in the same order," Rim stated. "That only started happening three or four years ago." He observed that AI guidance can "flatten the entire profile," making it harder for students to stand out.
In some instances, AI has been instrumental in helping students discover suitable programs or consider unexpected college choices that align with their interests. One parent shared on Reddit that they used AI to develop an application narrative based on various activities and to aid in research before and after college visits, helping to refine their daughter's college preferences.
Rim also suggested that colleges themselves may be leveraging AI to manage the surge in applications. Institutions have worked to increase applicant numbers without expanding class sizes, a strategy that can artificially lower acceptance rates. For example, NYU has seen its applicant pool double since 2015, while its admissions rate has declined by 75%. Rim posits that admissions committees are likely employing AI to process the increased volume of applications, as staffing levels have not risen proportionally.
Some universities have publicly acknowledged their use of AI in admissions. Virginia Tech has transitioned to a hybrid model for reviewing application essays, using one human reader and one AI evaluation for its 2025 admissions cycle. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also confirmed using AI to generate data points from application essays and transcripts.
Despite the growing integration of AI, Rim emphasized the importance of authenticity in college applications. His core advice remains: "It’s less about optimizing variables and more about telling a story only you can tell."