Student Defense Report Highlights Lack of Policies Governing AI Use By College Admissions Offices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Student Defense Report Highlights Lack of Policies Governing AI Use By College Admissions Offices
Washington, D.C. — Colleges and universities across the United States lack policies governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by admissions offices, according to a new report from Student Defense’s SHAPE AI Initiative. The startling finding comes as institutions of higher education rapidly incorporate the new technology into every facet of the student experience.
In the spring of 2026, Student Defense submitted 24 public records requests directly to higher education institutions—including some of the nation’s best-known public universities. The requests aimed to better understand if and how colleges and universities have adopted AI policies in undergraduate admissions processes, because “admissions decisions are high-stakes, individualized, and legally sensitive.”
The public records requests specifically asked whether institutions have “policies governing the use of AI by their undergraduate admissions offices,” and “the extent to which admissions office staff have been trained regarding the use of AI tools with respect to admissions, recruitment, and financial aid.” The requests also asked schools to turn over documents related to training materials provided to admissions office personnel.
Twenty of the 24 institutions responded to the public records requests. None of them produced a policy specifically governing AI use in undergraduate admissions or showing relevant training materials provided to undergraduate admissions staff. One institution sent Student Defense AI training materials specific to enrollment management staff.
Two main findings emerged from this outreach, informed by both the records institutions provided and the gaps in their responses:
Colleges and universities – including some of the largest public institutions in America – lack policies governing the use of AI by admissions offices.
Colleges and universities need to train admissions office staff about the ethical use of and risks associated with Artificial Intelligence.
“Our investigation makes one thing clear: too many colleges and universities have yet to establish the policies and trainings needed to ensure AI is used responsibly in admissions offices,” said Dan Zibel, Chief Counsel of Student Defense. “Higher education leaders should view these findings as a call to action. Establishing clear guardrails for the use of AI must be a top priority – not only to protect applicants, but to ensure AI isn’t amplifying the inequities that already exist across higher education.”
The report suggests “institutions should establish formal policies and trainings governing AI use by admissions offices to protect applicants.” The report acknowledges “every institution is different and therefore must tailor policies and trainings to their own practices and admissions goals.” It ends with a list of suggestions for institutions to consider while adopting policies and preparing training materials, including “maintain human accountability for admissions decisions, be transparent to students and applicants about the office’s use of AI, don’t allow undisclosed AI use by admissions staff, and protect student and applicant data.”
Those recommendations build on the SHAPE AI Initiative’s recently released reports and guides, including the “Dos and Don’ts of College Application Evaluation,” the “Dos and Don’ts of AI in College Recruitment & Enrollment,” and the Student AI Bill of Rights.
