AI Transforms College Admissions, Raising Efficiency and Ethical Concerns

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into college admissions processes, introducing both operational efficiencies and ethical challenges. Top universities like Caltech and Virginia Tech are using AI to score essays, conduct interviews, and detect fraud, while schools like UCLA and USC continue to rely on human evaluators to maintain a personal touch in admissions.

The shift towards AI-driven admissions is a response to the growing volume of applications, particularly as standardized tests like the SAT become optional. Virginia Tech, for instance, received a record 57,622 applications for its 7,000-member freshman class last year. To manage this influx, the university implemented an AI essay reader trained on past applicant essays and scoring rubrics. This system, developed over three years, is designed to confirm human readers' scores and expedite decision-making, allowing the school to notify applicants a month earlier than usual.

AI in Admissions: Efficiency vs. Ethical Considerations

While AI promises to streamline admissions, it also raises concerns about bias, transparency, and fairness. The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) recently updated its ethics guide to address AI usage, emphasizing the need for colleges to ensure their AI practices align with values of transparency and student dignity. However, the prevalence of AI in admissions remains difficult to gauge due to its novelty.

Caltech's AI interview bot, for example, evaluates applicants' research projects by asking questions about their work, mimicking a dissertation defense. The bot assesses not just the content but also the applicant's passion and intellectual ownership of the project. This approach, while innovative, has sparked debates about the potential for AI to overlook nuances that human evaluators might catch.

Similarly, Virginia Tech's AI essay reader has faced scrutiny. Although the AI is used to confirm human scores, critics worry about inherent biases in the algorithms trained on historical data. The university has assured that a second human reviewer will intervene if the AI and human scores diverge significantly. Still, the reliance on AI raises questions about the consistency and fairness of evaluations.

Combating Fraud with AI

In California, AI is being leveraged to combat fraudulent applications that steal financial aid resources. Community colleges in the state have adopted AI tools to detect fake applications by analyzing metadata, such as IP addresses and application patterns. This has become crucial as online education has expanded, leading to a surge in fraudulent activity. For instance, Golden West College now uses AI to flag suspicious applications, reducing the manual workload previously required to screen for fraud.

Despite these advancements, many prestigious institutions, including UCLA and USC, have resisted the full integration of AI into their admissions processes. UCLA, which received over 145,000 first-year applications last year, relies on a team of 300 human readers to evaluate essays. UC Merced, another school with a rapidly growing applicant pool, emphasizes the importance of human evaluation for qualitative aspects like personal insight questions and extracurricular achievements.

The resistance to AI stems from concerns about losing the human touch in admissions. Dustin Noji, director of admissions at UC Merced, argues that human readers provide contextual understanding that AI cannot replicate. Similarly, UCLA's admissions director, Ashley M. Pallie, stresses the importance of maintaining a human-centered approach to bring authenticity back into applications.

As AI continues to infiltrate education, its role in admissions will likely evolve. While it offers significant benefits in efficiency and fraud detection, institutions must carefully balance these advantages with ethical considerations to ensure fairness and transparency in the admissions process.