The 2026-2027 deadlines fall into three walls: October 15 for the earliest public rounds, November 1 for nearly all ED, EA, and REA programs, and January 1-2 for Ivy Regular Decision, with the UC filing window closing December 2.
Duke did not ban AI: its 2025-2026 supplement asks applicants to reflect on how they use it, grading the honesty and specificity of the thinking. What strong and weak answers look like, and where the authorship line still sits.
MIT has no AI specific rule, but its own application portal carries its own authorship attestation, and MIT's short answer format plus its stated preference for genuine, imperfect voices makes generated prose both a violation and a wasted answer.
Brown, UChicago, and Caltech anchor the growing group of selective colleges asking for short video introductions: one to two minute unscripted recordings that anchor authenticity as essay trust declines. Who asks, and how to prepare.
No. Brown prohibits AI generated content and permits AI only for spelling and grammar review, then adds a video introduction so readers can compare every essay against the unscripted person. Both rules, translated into practice.
The Purdue acceptance rate was 53.3% for fall 2026, up from 43.4% a year earlier, as applications fell to 82,160 and the class grew 13%. Engineering admitted 37.9%, Nursing 37.7%, and Professional Flight 7.5%, while Computer Science rose to 63.4%.
The Ohio State acceptance rate fell to 49.2% for the Class of 2029, down from 60.6% in one cycle, as applications hit 81,392 and admits were cut to 40,047. In-state and out-of-state applicants are admitted at nearly the same rate, testing is required again, and Early Action is the scholarship gate.
UW Madison admitted 30,167 from a record 73,912 applications for the Class of 2029, a 40.8% rate with a mild residency split: 56.4% in state, 40.3% out of state. Average GPA 3.9, over half above 4.0, genuinely test optional.
Cornell's Receiving Help with Your Application page names one acceptable AI use, researching colleges and building a list, and four unacceptable ones: having AI outline, draft or write responses, translate them, or create portfolio work. What the rule says and what it leaves out.
UF admitted 18,169 from a record 91,896 applications for the Class of 2029, a 19.8% acceptance rate, down from roughly one in three five years ago. Admitted GPA 4.5-4.7, SAT 1380-1510, test scores required, EA the real front door.
UT Austin admitted 20,154 from a record 90,690 applications for the Class of 2029, a 22.2% rate hiding two systems: automatic admission for top Texas graduates, tightening to top 5% for Fall 2026, and near 10% odds for everyone else.
The University of Washington acceptance rate was 41.7% for the Class of 2029, with 30,446 admitted from 72,933 applications. Residents were admitted at 45.7% and nonresidents at 42.2%, readers do not see test scores, there is no early round, and the direct-to-major rate for computer science is the number that really decides competitive files.
The University of Miami acceptance rate rose to 22% for the Class of 2030 (11,961 of 54,218) from 17.6% for the Class of 2029, in the first cycle with required test scores. Early Decision admitted 44% for the Class of 2029, and 703 students came off the waitlist.
The UIUC acceptance rate fell to 36.6% for the Class of 2029 on a record 83,045 applications, but Illinois admits by first choice major: computer science runs near 7.2% while other colleges admit above half. The doors, mapped.
How to get into Yale Law School: what faculty readers select for beyond the medians, why the 250 word essay decides close calls, and how to build a file that proves you can run free in the least structured J.D. in the T14.
How to get into Columbia Law School: when the binding early decision option is worth playing, what the BigLaw pipeline means for your file, and how to make the New York argument specifically enough to matter.