Guidance on Usage of Artificial Intelligence

The wide availability of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools has the potential to enhance how we all approach learning, research, and creative work. At the same time, there are questions about when the use of AI is appropriate in a way that aids learning, and when it could be detrimental to the development of critical thinking and writing skills — skills that are core components of a liberal arts education.

At Swarthmore, faculty, staff, and students are all exploring how AI fits into the learning experience through a mix of discussion groups, guest speakers, and course offerings. The College provides access to various AI tools and continues to update guidance for students to help them learn and think critically about the responsible use of AI.

Applying to college is a learning experience in itself — a time for students to research colleges, prepare and submit a variety of materials and written work, and ask for help when needed. College applications prompt you to learn about yourself through self-reflection, and allows for the admissions committee to learn about you through the expression of your ideas, experiences, and personality in the different components of your application. Where does AI fit into this whole process? 

Guidance on AI Usage for Students When Applying to Swarthmore

Our admissions committee at Swarthmore does not use AI tools when making admissions decisions in our holistic application review process. Real people will be reading your application, discussing your materials, and making decisions every step of the way. The best way for us to learn about you is through your own writing, not through essays that have been created by AI or other people.

For students, AI can serve as a useful aid for many parts of your college search and application process. Some might use it to help research colleges or summarize application requirements, or as a brainstorming tool when writing an essay. Getting help with the college process is not new — college counselors, advisors, and teachers have assisted students. However, human mentors often balance feedback or advice with questions that prompt you to explore, learn, and create things for yourself.

Most AI tools currently available will not limit themselves the same way a human would when sharing suggestions or advice, leaving students to think about and answer the question, “How much help from AI is too much?” As the admissions committee reviews applications, we are looking for students who genuinely enjoy learning and who will contribute their distinct perspectives and voices to our community. Overuse or uncritical use of AI when crafting application materials can flatten or erase your authentic voice and lived experiences from your application.

When we read your application, we expect to learn about you and how you think, which means you are not submitting work that has been substantially created by AI or another person. Examples of this include:

  • Asking AI or another person to outline or draft an application essay
  • Using AI or another tool to translate your writing from another language into English
  • Using AI to modify the tone of your writing (e.g., rewriting to sound more academic or conversational)
  • Asking AI or another person to rewrite a significant portion of your essay(s)

Whether you are getting help from AI or another person, we recommend that any assistance with writing comes at the beginning or end of the process — such as brainstorming ideas for essay topics or asking for feedback on readability, spelling, and mechanics.

As you would when quoting or citing work from human creators, the submission of any AI-generated writing, audio, video, or graphic content in your application must include proper acknowledgement or citation. If you are submitting an art supplement as part of your application, review the guidelines for each field and note that some fields prohibit the use of AI in submissions.

We also recommend reviewing policies from the application platforms students use to apply to Swarthmore (Coalition by SCOIR, Common Application, and QuestBridge), as they may have their own rules that limit the use of AI tools. 

Guidance for College Counselors, Advisors, and Teachers Supporting Applicants to Swarthmore

Swarthmore College’s admissions committee strongly encourages students to rely on their college counselors, teachers, and other mentors, whenever possible, for expert (and human) advice on navigating the college search and application process. However, students may not always have access to a college counselor, or college counselors may not have the capacity or resources to provide full support for every student during their college search. We hope that positive developments in AI allow for greater access to information about the college application process, in addition to easing counselor workloads so that they can spend more time working directly with their students.

Swarthmore College has limited guidance regarding the use of AI by counselors, teachers, or others who prepare and submit materials in support of applicants. Counselors and teachers should abide by any policies their institutions have implemented regarding the use of AI.

When preparing materials, AI tools could potentially modify writing away from its originally intended meaning, or portray information that is inaccurate or misleading. Hence, if using AI to prepare materials in support of applicants, ensure that materials still adhere to the following guidelines:

  • All information submitted about the student (including in recommendations and school reports) must be true and accurate.
  • AI may be used to assist with the translation of documents that are not prepared in English (e.g., transcripts or recommendation letters). However, all documents as prepared in their original language must be submitted alongside translations. Translations should be verified as accurate by a school official or college advisor supporting the student in their application process.
  • The submission of any fabricated or falsified materials is prohibited - this includes transcripts or other official school documents that have been altered using AI tools.


When counseling students for their application to Swarthmore College, we encourage you to review our Guidance on AI Usage for Students.