Policy presence
Northwestern University has 2 source-backed public claims for policy presence; deterministic analysis status: unclear.
Evanston, United States
Northwestern University
Record status
Review: Agent reviewed
Policy profile
Review: Machine candidate
AI disclosure
No source-backed public claim about AI disclosure or acknowledgement is present in this profile.
The current public tracker record does not contain claim evidence about disclosing, acknowledging, citing, or declaring AI use.
Coursework
Northwestern University has 5 source-backed public claims for coursework; deterministic analysis status: restricted.
Exams
Northwestern University has 4 source-backed public claims for exams; deterministic analysis status: restricted.
Privacy and data entry
Northwestern University has 3 source-backed public claims for privacy and data entry; deterministic analysis status: restricted.
Academic integrity
Northwestern University has 1 source-backed public claim for academic integrity; deterministic analysis status: conditionally_allowed.
Approved tools
Northwestern University has 4 source-backed public claims for approved tools; deterministic analysis status: restricted.
Named AI services
Northwestern University has 5 source-backed public claims for named ai services; deterministic analysis status: restricted.
Teaching guidance
Northwestern University has 3 source-backed public claims for teaching guidance; deterministic analysis status: recommended.
Research guidance
No source-backed public claim about research AI use is present in this profile.
The current public tracker record does not contain claim evidence about research use, publication ethics, research data, grants, or human-subjects compliance.
Security and procurement
Northwestern University has 1 source-backed public claim for security and procurement; deterministic analysis status: restricted.
AI tools
Evidence-backed claims
6 reviewed evidence-backed public claim
Privacy
Northwestern guidance states that faculty, staff, students, and affiliates should not enter institutional data into any generative AI tools that have not been validated by the University for appropriate use and have explicit permission of the data provider.
Review: Agent reviewed
Normalized value: no_institutional_data_in_unvalidated_ai
Original evidence
Evidence 1University faculty, staff, students, and affiliates should not enter institutional data into any generative AI tools that have not been validated by the University for appropriate use and have explicit permission of the data provider.
Teaching
Northwestern provides instructors with three course-level AI policy options: Open (GAI permitted), Conditional (GAI permitted when explicitly authorized), and Closed (GAI prohibited).
Review: Agent reviewed
Normalized value: three_course_ai_policy_options
Original evidence
Evidence 1As with other course features, instructors are free to integrate generative artificial intelligence (GAI) to support their teaching goals. Instructors should carefully consider whether and how they will allow the use of GAI in their courses. All instructors should clearly communicate their expectations or requirements to students to avoid confusion. It may help to consider three main options: Open: The use of GAI is permitted. Conditional: The use of GAI is permitted when explicitly authorized by the instructor. Closed: The use of GAI is prohibited.
Privacy
Northwestern classifies data into four levels. Only Level 1 (non-confidential, public) data may be uploaded to publicly available generative AI tools. Data above Level 1 requires tools approved through Northwestern IT procurement and security review.
Review: Agent reviewed
Normalized value: data_classification_levels_ai_use
Original evidence
Evidence 1To determine whether your data requires special attention, consult Northwestern Data Classification Policy. If your data is Level 1 (non-confidential and public data), uploading it to generative AI tools is permissible. To process data above Level 1, any generative AI tool must have been approved through Northwestern IT procurement and security review processes.
Ai Tool Treatment
Microsoft Copilot is Northwestern's primary approved generative AI tool. All students, faculty, and staff have access to free Copilot Chat, with full Copilot for Microsoft 365 available as a paid subscription.
Review: Agent reviewed
Normalized value: copilot_primary_approved_tool
Original evidence
Evidence 1Microsoft Copilot is the primary, general-use AI tool available at Northwestern. All Northwestern students, faculty, and staff have access to the free Copilot Chat, and faculty and staff can use the full Copilot for Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities with an add-on paid subscription. When you are logged into these services with your Northwestern NetID, your data is protected and operates fully within Northwestern security, compliance, and data boundaries.
Academic Integrity
Unauthorized use of ChatGPT or other Generative AI tools is considered cheating and/or plagiarism per Northwestern Academic Integrity guidelines.
Review: Agent reviewed
Normalized value: unauthorized_ai_use_is_cheating
Original evidence
Evidence 1Unauthorized use of ChatGPT or other Generative AI tools is considered cheating and/or plagiarism in Academic Integrity: A Basic Guide.
Ai Tool Treatment
Microsoft Copilot, when signed in with a Northwestern Microsoft account, is approved for Level 2 and generally Level 3 data. Publicly available AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, MidJourney) may only be used with Level 1 public data.
Review: Agent reviewed
Normalized value: copilot_approved_for_sensitive_data
Original evidence
Evidence 1The following table outlines Northwestern current services posture based on data classification: Conversational/Interactive Mode - Public Data (Level 1): Use of publicly available tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Bard/Gemini, MidJourney, etc.). Sensitive/Regulated Data (Level 2, Level 3, Level 4): Microsoft Copilot, when signed in with a Northwestern Microsoft account for Level 2 and Level 3 data.
Candidate claims
0 machine or needs-review claim
Official sources
6 source attribution
Academic Integrity & Citing AI - Using AI Tools in Your Research
libguides.northwestern.edu
Generative AI on Your Terms: Data and Privacy 101
it.northwestern.edu
Getting Started with Generative AI
it.northwestern.edu
Instructor Options
it.northwestern.edu
Northwestern Guidance on the Use of Generative AI
it.northwestern.edu
Overview of Generative AI for Learning
northwestern.edu