The Shift to AI in College Admission Screenings

AI Isn’t Making the Final Decision. But It Is Dictating Which Applications Reach Humans.

The college admissions landscape is changing rapidly, and one of the biggest shifts happening now is the quiet integration of artificial intelligence into the first stage of application review. While admissions officers still make the final decision, AI is increasingly determining which applications get routed to a human reader in the first place.

For students aiming at Ivy League and Top 30 universities, this change means one thing:
Strategy matters more than ever.

Why Colleges Are Using AI to Screen Applications

Application volume has exploded. Many top universities receive 50,000–80,000 applications each year, far more than human readers can manage within the admissions timeline.

To handle this surge, colleges are adopting AI tools that can:

Sort applications quickly
Flag missing or weak components
Identify alignment with institutional priorities
Detect inconsistencies or overly assisted writing
Recommend which applications deserve full human review

AI doesn’t replace human judgment, it shapes who gets to the human judgment stage.

What AI Looks For: Academic Strength, Consistency, and Authenticity.

1. Strong Grades and Academic Rigor Matter More Than Ever

AI screening heavily favors objective academic metrics, including:

Course rigor
Grades across multiple years
AP/IB/Honors participation
Early test scores (SAT/ACT)

Because AI evaluates applications relative to the entire applicant pool, students who test early (before the peak application season) face less competition during initial screening. This improves the likelihood of clearing the first AI filter. A significant advantage for current 9th-, 10th-, and 11th-graders.

2. AI Can Detect When Essays Have Been Heavily Assisted

With the rise of essay consultants, editors, and rewriting services, AI is now used to assess the authenticity of student writing. These systems can flag:

Overly polished essays
Inconsistent writing voice between sections
Differences between essays and short-answer responses
Evidence of AI-generated or AI-polished content

This is why colleges are shifting toward new forms of voice verification.

3. Video Submissions Are Becoming More Common

To protect the integrity of the process, several selective universities now allow or require video components:

Brown University: Optional 2-minute video
University of Chicago: Optional 2-minute video
Caltech: Requires a “viva voce” oral examination for certain research pathways

These formats help admissions officers hear a student’s natural voice, enthusiasm, and clarity of thought, things AI cannot fully duplicate.

This doesn’t diminish the value of essay coaching. It simply means students must emphasize authenticity and maintain a consistent personal voice throughout the application.

How AI Screens Applications Before Humans See Them

1. Structure and Completeness

AI systems quickly identify:

Missing sections
Unclear activity descriptions
Gaps in coursework
Low-rigor academic patterns

This is why students must build well-organized, complete, and coherent applications; rushed or last-minute submissions are more likely to be filtered early.

2. Narrative Consistency Across Components

Admissions AI scans for alignment between:

Coursework
Activities
Essays
Recommendations
Video submissions

A scattered application without a clear academic or personal through-line appears unfocused, and is often deprioritized.

Students must present a cohesive story that highlights their strengths over time, not a collection of unrelated achievements.

3. Clear Evidence of Initiative and Impact

AI evaluates activity lists using measurable elements such as:

Leadership roles
Duration and commitment
Quantifiable outcomes
Depth of involvement

Generic or vague descriptions are ranked lower than those with specific verbs, context, and impact.

Students Who Don’t Plan Strategically Risk Being Filtered Out Early

The biggest admissions risk today is not rejection; it’s being filtered out before a human ever reads the application.

Students who:

Delay test preparation
Submit weak or inconsistent essays
Don’t demonstrate sustained interest
Scatter their extracurriculars across unrelated fields
Lack depth in one academic area
Rely too heavily on external editing

are more likely to fall in the “algorithmic shadow.”

This shift means that strategy, clarity, and authenticity are now essential for visibility.

Human Readers Still Make Decisions.

AI is not replacing admissions officers. But it is shaping the applicant pool they see.

This new reality requires students to:

Strengthen academic rigor and test early
Build a consistent, authentic narrative
Use essays to express their genuine voice
Prepare for optional or required video submissions
Align activities with long-term interests
Plan ahead to ensure every component reinforces the same story

At College Excellence, we help students build applications that stand out to both AI screening tools and the admissions officers behind them.

If you’re applying in 2026 or later, now is the moment to align your strategy with the evolving admissions process, before the gatekeeping stage gets even more competitive.