Check Northwestern University AI Policy Online
Review Northwestern’s academic-integrity principles, instructor-defined AI rules, disclosure expectations, privacy guidance, and campus-specific policies.
Verified from official university sourcesQuick Policy Overview
Depends on instructor; unauthorized use prohibited
Depends; required under NU-Q when use is permitted
Instructors set the rules for their own courses.
Central academic guidance current; NU-Q policy approved January 7, 2025 and updated August 2025
Checked against official university sources.
1. Summary
Northwestern makes students responsible for understanding instructor rules, which may vary by course and even by assignment. Unauthorized use can be treated as cheating or plagiarism, while permitted use may require disclosure and attribution.
Hybrid Check primary source.Use scope: Depends on instructor; unauthorized use prohibited.
Disclosure: Depends; required under NU-Q when use is permitted.
Instructor/course rules can override the general university guidance.
Integrity: Unauthorized use can be treated as cheating or plagiarism, while permitted use may require disclosure and attribution.
Check primary source.
2. Why Check This Policy
Northwestern explicitly warns that AI rules can vary not only between courses but between assignments in the same course. Northwestern Qatar formalizes closed, conditional, and open policy models and requires disclosure when AI is permitted, while central IT guidance separately restricts what institutional data may be entered into unapproved tools. Students need to check both academic permission and data-use rules.
3. When AI Is Commonly Allowed
Uses that are allowed with disclosure, attribution, or citation.
Only if your instructor allows it for the specific assignment.
4. When AI Is Commonly Restricted
AI use that falls under plagiarism or similar misconduct rules.
Always check your course syllabus for specific restrictions.
5. Disclosure Requirements
Depends; required under NU-Q when use is permitted.
Unauthorized use can be treated as cheating or plagiarism, while permitted use may require disclosure and attribution.
Where AI use is permitted, disclosure usually takes one of these forms:
- A statement or acknowledgement in your submission
- A citation of the AI tool, in the format your course requires
- A short methods note describing how AI was used
Follow the exact format your instructor or department requires.