School AI policies · University of Pennsylvania
Does University of Pennsylvania allow AI help with college essays?
Permits AI help likened to a counselor's (organizing thoughts, grammar checks); prohibits AI-generated responses
What University of Pennsylvania publishes
“Getting help is not the same as losing ownership. Talking through an idea with a parent, teacher, or counselor, having someone proofread your writing, or using a tool, including an AI tool, to organize your thoughts or check your grammar, doesn't compromise your application certification. What would compromise your application is submitting work, ideas, or experiences that aren't authentically yours, whether that means someone else wrote your essay, an AI tool generated your responses, or your activities and honors are embellished or invented.”
New since the July sweep: Penn published a dedicated integrity-and-AI page that analogizes AI help to a parent, teacher, or counselor. Its enumerated AI examples are organizing thoughts and grammar checks, with the ban aimed at AI-generated responses; its own test is whether you could explain your writing in an interview. Verified in a real browser 2026-08-04.
Verified August 4, 2026 · published policy
Do your own fact-checking. This page is a starting point, not the authority. The school's own admissions pages are. Policies can change after our check date (August 4, 2026), and you are responsible for verifying University of Pennsylvania's current policy yourself before you rely on it, here or anywhere else.
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Reviews naming University of Pennsylvania proceed. Seven AI reviewers score your essay, debate it, and return revision directions, never written or rewritten essay text. You stay the author, and your report carries a reminder to verify the school's current policy yourself.
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