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Does William & Mary allow AI in college essays?

AI ok for brainstorming and grammar, but essays must be your own original work, not primarily AI.

Allowed with limits AI ok for brainstorming and grammar, but essays must be your own original work, not primarily AI.

William & Mary's official admissions page on AI states that AI tools can be helpful for brainstorming, organizing ideas, or refining grammar, but essays that depend too much on AI miss the applicant's unique perspective and voice. Applicants affirm through the Common App that submitted materials are their own original work, not primarily the product of AI.

Allowed

Brainstorming, organizing ideas, and refining grammar

Not allowed

Essays that are primarily the product of AI or depend too much on AI

Source: William & Mary Undergraduate Admission, AI and the Application Process, 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 William & Mary allow you to use AI on your application?

William & Mary's official admissions page on AI states that AI tools can be helpful for brainstorming, organizing ideas, or refining grammar, but essays that depend too much on AI miss the applicant's unique perspective and voice. Applicants affirm through the Common App that submitted materials are their own original work, not primarily the product of AI.

Can William & Mary 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 William & Mary.