Students applying to college know they can’t—or at least shouldn’t—use AI chatbots to write their essays and personal statements. So it might come as a surprise that some schools are now using artificial intelligence to read them.
AI tools are now being incorporated into how student applications are screened and analyzed, admissions directors say. It can be a delicate topic, and not all colleges are eager to talk about it, but higher education is among the many industries where AI is rapidly taking on tasks once reserved for humans.
In some cases, schools are quietly slipping AI into their evaluation process, experts say. Others are touting the technology’s potential to speed up their review of applications, cut processing times and even perform some tasks better than humans.
“Humans get tired; some days are better than others. The AI does not get tired. It doesn’t get grumpy. It doesn’t have a bad day. The AI is consistent,” says Juan Espinoza, vice provost for enrollment management at Virginia Tech.
Meeting demand
