Since the rise of artificial intelligence, college admissions officers have relied on AI’s advantages to review students’ applications. Many admissions offices plan to or have already started implementing AI to make decisions on applicants with the intention of reviewing data more efficiently. While AI offers promising advancements inevaluating applicants’ data, its role raises essential questions about the ethicality of using AI to determine a student’s admission status.
According to Utah College of Applied Technology, AI is mainly used as a supplementary tool to aid admissions officers in identifying candidates that meet specific criteria. In a recent WBUR article, Rick Clark, executive director of Strategic Student Access at Georgia Tech, explained, “…a human right now is taking several minutes, at least to calculate GPAs, evaluate rigor of curriculum and then make a recommendation.” AI systems can process data from thousands of applications more quickly than a team of admissions officers, analyzing factors such as academic achievements, extracurricular activities, test scores, and even essay content. This enables admissions offices to focus on applicants who align with their institutional goals and priorities.
AI is also utilized to assess attributes including creativity, problem-solving skills, and resilience through datasets. For instance, some systems evaluate essays or video submissions to detect personality traits and facial expression. However, even with this analyzing trait, AI is still a machine, which leads people to wonder if AI can be trusted to examine personality.
Highlighted as a potential tool for reducing bias in the admissions process, AI prevents officers from being influenced by unconscious biases, such as favoring applicants from certain demographic groups, schools, or regions. On the other hand, this argument falls short since AI algorithms are only as unbiased as the data they are programmed to run.
However, as college decisions near, there are controversial opinions regarding the ethical use of artificial intelligence. Thomas Thompson ’25 told the Register Forum, “I feel like it’s unfair because they’re using [AI] for reviewing applications, but we can’t use it for our application. But at the same time, it makes sense as well, because there’s tons of people applying to college, so it could help clear up the load and save time.” While the role of AI in admissions continues to grow, its implementation is likely to evolve, raising new questions about its influence on the future of education. The balance between efficiency and fairness will be a critical factor in determining how these systems are utilized. But for now, AI serves as a tool to enhance efficiency and support the admissions officers in the complex process of college applications.
In contrast, when referring to the ethicality of AI, there’s several concerns regarding the over-reliance on quantitative data rather than qualitative personality traits. Elana Jacobs ’25 expressed disgust towards this AI system, saying, “Absolutely not. It’s just not fair.” Elaborating, Korrey Kim ’27 states, “I think that while AI might speed up the process, it doesn’t capture who we really are. College admissions should be about understanding a person, not just analyzing a set of numbers and keywords.”
This article also appears in our January 2025 print edition.
