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Macalester states AI can be a helpful tool in the writing process and encourages responsible use. AI may help edit or organize pre-existing ideas, but the writing must be the applicant's own. Using AI to generate rather than refine text is treated as problematic.
Allowed
Editing, organizing, and refining your own ideas
Not allowed
Generating or drafting essay text with AI
Source: Macalester First-Year Admissions FAQ, official AI policy. Last checked August 2026. Policies change, so confirm on the school's site before you rely on it.
The rule underneath every school
Whatever a specific school says, one standard applies almost everywhere: the Common App counts submitting the substantive content or output of an AI platform as your own work as fraud, added to its policy in 2023, while still permitting grammar checks and early topic brainstorming. So the safe line is always the same, use AI to think, never to write the words you submit. (More in Is It OK to Use AI? and How to Use AI the Right Way.)
Use AI on your Macalester College application the right way.
Start with AdmissionsOSFrequently asked questions
Does Macalester College allow you to use AI on your application?
Macalester states AI can be a helpful tool in the writing process and encourages responsible use. AI may help edit or organize pre-existing ideas, but the writing must be the applicant's own. Using AI to generate rather than refine text is treated as problematic.
Can Macalester College detect AI in essays?
AI detectors are unreliable and no school treats a flag as proof, so detection is not the real risk. The real risk is that AI-written essays read generic to admissions officers. Write the essay yourself and use AI only to brainstorm and get feedback.
See AI policies for other schools or check your chances at Macalester College.