diff --git a/sdk/evaluation/azure-ai-evaluation/azure/ai/evaluation/_common/utils.py b/sdk/evaluation/azure-ai-evaluation/azure/ai/evaluation/_common/utils.py
index 2c45f37bc15a..5982c22771ca 100644
--- a/sdk/evaluation/azure-ai-evaluation/azure/ai/evaluation/_common/utils.py
+++ b/sdk/evaluation/azure-ai-evaluation/azure/ai/evaluation/_common/utils.py
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ def validate_azure_ai_project(o: object) -> AzureAIProject:
         return o
 
     if not isinstance(o, dict):
-        msg = "The 'azure_ai_project' parameter must be a dictionary."
+        msg = "The 'azure_ai_project' parameter must be a dictionary or a project URI string."
         raise EvaluationException(
             message=msg,
             category=ErrorCategory.INVALID_VALUE,