Virginia Tech updates admissions deadlines and integrates AI into essay review process

The university will move its early action deadline to Nov. 1 and adopt a hybrid AI-human model to evaluate application essays more efficiently.

Photo credit: Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is revising its undergraduate admissions process for the application cycle opening Aug. 1 in response to sustained growth in application volume.

The early action deadline will shift from Nov. 15 to Nov. 1, and the university will introduce a new essay review system pairing human reviewers with an artificial intelligence-supported model developed by its researchers.

Hybrid essay review model

The new process replaces the previous system, where two human reviewers scored each essay. Under the updated approach, one human reviewer and one AI reviewer will score each essay. If the two scores differ by more than two points on a 12-point scale, a second human reviewer will be brought in. Previously, a third human reviewer was only added when scores differed by more than four points.

Juan Espinoza, vice provost for enrollment management, says the changes will allow the university to respond to growing demand without compromising fairness: “For the last three years, we have worked closely with Virginia Tech researchers in creating and testing this approach in a careful and responsible way.

“The success of this research has led to development of this tool that will support our human readers as they review the essay section of the application. These updates allow us to keep pace with the application volume while preserving the academic quality, increasing the fairness and responsiveness of our review process.”

Espinoza emphasizes that AI will not make admissions decisions. “If the human and AI scores differ by more than two points, a second human reviewer is brought in to ensure consistency and fairness,” he says. “This safeguard gives us even greater confidence in the scores and reinforces that final admission decisions continue to be made exclusively by admissions professionals on our team.”

AI research and responsible use in higher education

The AI reviewer uses a large language model trained and validated by Virginia Tech researchers, with ongoing monitoring to ensure accuracy and fairness. Espinoza says this work also contributes to the broader national conversation about responsible AI use in higher education admissions.

“We’re proud to be contributing to the innovation of new tools and, just as importantly, we’re committed to using them thoughtfully and transparently,” he says. “We’ll continue to evaluate outcomes, incorporate research, and refine our approach to ensure we’re serving students in the best possible way.”