Is it okay to use AI when writing college essays?

You’re not alone in wondering about this—AI writing tools are everywhere right now and lots of students are trying to figure out the best way to use them, if at all. Generally, college admissions officers want to see your authentic voice, thoughts, and experiences in your essay. The application essay is a way for them to get to know who you are beyond grades and test scores.

If you use an AI tool purely for grammar or spelling checks, that’s pretty similar to what services like Grammarly have been doing for years, and it’s widely accepted. Most teachers and counselors agree this sort of proofreading is totally fine, just like using spellcheck in Word. The main thing that’s discouraged (and can cross a line in terms of ethics or even college policies) is using AI or any tool to write entire paragraphs or the whole essay for you. Submitting work that isn’t genuinely your own can be considered plagiarism or misrepresentation. While it’s unlikely that colleges have a way to directly detect every instance where AI was used, some admissions offices are experimenting with tools that flag essays that seem generic or not written in a student’s usual voice.

A good approach is to use AI as a brainstorming partner or editing tool, but not as the main author. For example, you could ask it to help you outline possible essay topics or give suggestions for structuring your story. After writing your first draft, it’s fine to use grammar checkers to tidy up minor mistakes. The most important thing is to ensure the content, voice, and experiences are genuinely yours.

Some high schools have clear policies on this, so definitely check if your school has any rules. And if you do get advice from AI, treat it like help from a tutor: take suggestions, but rewrite everything in your own words and add personal details only you could offer. For example, if you brainstorm with an AI and it suggests writing about a struggle in your life, make sure to focus on a specific, authentic experience, like the moment you decided to join the debate team after a tough semester—something truly personal that an AI couldn’t create on its own.

In short: light, responsible use for editing or brainstorming is fine, but the essay itself should absolutely reflect your story, your ideas, and your words.