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AI is scoring college essays and conducting interviews, a new layer in admissions stress

latimes.com

January 21, 2026

9 min read

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Summary

Universities, including Caltech, are implementing AI tools to evaluate college applicants by scoring essays and conducting interviews. While these technologies aim to enhance efficiency and minimize errors in the admissions process, they also raise ethical concerns regarding bias, transparency, and fairness.

Key Takeaways

Universities, including Caltech and Virginia Tech, are using AI tools to evaluate college applications, improving efficiency and reducing processing times.
AI is being employed to conduct interviews with applicants, where students respond to questions posed by an AI-powered voice, which are then reviewed by human admissions officers.
The use of AI in admissions raises ethical concerns regarding bias, transparency, and fairness, prompting organizations like NACAC to update their ethics guidelines.
Some California universities, such as the UCs and USC, continue to rely solely on human readers for admissions decisions, without incorporating AI.

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