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Does Washington University in St Louis allow AI in college essays?

Using AI to brainstorm or draft essays is unethical; grammar review only.

AI-written content banned Using AI to brainstorm or draft essays is unethical; grammar review only.

WashU's admissions common-questions page lists using AI to brainstorm essay topics or to draft or write essays as unethical uses. Only limited uses such as reviewing grammar and spelling of completed essays, or researching colleges, are considered acceptable. The office states essays must be authentically the applicant's own.

Allowed

Grammar and spelling review of completed essays, researching colleges

Not allowed

Using AI to brainstorm, draft, or write essays

Source: WashU Undergraduate Admissions Common Questions, 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.)

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Frequently asked questions

Does Washington University in St Louis allow you to use AI on your application?

WashU's admissions common-questions page lists using AI to brainstorm essay topics or to draft or write essays as unethical uses. Only limited uses such as reviewing grammar and spelling of completed essays, or researching colleges, are considered acceptable. The office states essays must be authentically the applicant's own.

Can Washington University in St Louis 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 Washington University in St Louis.