AI in US College Admissions: What Happens to Candidates' Applications?

The use of AI in admissions is widespread at many American universities, especially those that receive a large number of applications. The technology helps shorten processing times, authenticate information, and help admissions committees evaluate applications more consistently. However, the implementation has also caused controversy regarding transparency, accuracy, and the risk of losing the human element.

AI Reads Over 250,000 Essays in Less Than an Hour!

Many universities in the US are under great pressure as the number of applications increases sharply every year. Schools that receive tens of thousands of applications per admissions cycle must spend a large amount of time reading essays, checking transcripts and verifying information. The manual process not only overloads the admissions committee but also causes delays in responding to candidates.

In this context, schools are starting to use artificial intelligence to support repetitive and time-consuming data processing steps. The main goal is to shorten the initial assessment time, thereby helping candidates receive results sooner while maintaining a level of consistency in reviewing applications.

One notable example is Virginia Tech, which deployed an AI system that can read more than 250,000 essays in less than an hour. That’s far faster than the average two minutes per essay when read manually.

Such large-scale processing capabilities help schools reduce staff workload and speed up the admissions process, especially during peak periods.

AI in admissions essays, transcripts, and letters of recommendation

Essays are often the hardest part of an application to evaluate because they are so subjective, which is why many schools are starting to use AI tools to help with initial screening.

At this step, language models primarily check for plagiarism and detect grammatical errors, which significantly reduces the amount of processing before the application is sent to the admissions board.

Some systems can also detect signs that an essay might have been created by a tool, based on the degree of repetition or the writing style that doesn’t match other parts of the application. While not conclusive, these signals help schools determine which applications need a closer human read.

AI is also being applied to other parts of the application, beyond the essay. Georgia Tech processes transcripts, from data extraction to credit conversion and course equivalency, reducing the time it takes to review transfer applications. At Stony Brook, AI summarizes recommendation letters, highlighting factors relevant to the applicant’s personal background, helping the admissions committee quickly grasp key information.

For applications that include a project or research paper, some schools are implementing automated interviews to validate the applicant’s level of understanding. Caltech said it uses an online interview format through an AI tool, asking applicants to explain in detail about their own submitted project. The results are then sent to faculty for manual evaluation.

Controversy, transparency and the human role

Although it is expected to help reduce the burden on schools, the use of AI in admissions still raises many concerns about transparency and fairness. One of the big questions is that it is difficult for candidates to know to what extent schools are using AI, specifically in which steps and how the system affects admissions results.

To address these concerns, the National Association for College Admission Counseling updated its ethics guidelines this fall, adding a section devoted to AI.

The organization believes that automated tools can support the process, but implementation must be anchored in core principles of transparency, integrity and fairness, while respecting the dignity of learners.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ai-vao-tuyen-sinh-dai-hoc-my-dieu-gi-xay-ra-voi-ho-so-cua-thi-sinh-20251205165712861.htm