College admissions offices are leveraging AI bots to enhance their support of student throughout the application and enrollment process. AI chatbots, like those used by Georgia State, are becoming more common in the enrollment process. These bots send timely reminders and pertinent information about enrollment tasks, gather essential survey data, and provide instantaneous responses to students' queries at any hour. This technology streamlines the admissions process, offering students comprehensive assistance while easing the workload of admissions staff.

AI is also helping colleges review the mountain of applications they receive every year. Many colleges are utilizing AI-powered systems that can go through an application quickly, checking out important details like GPA, SAT or ACT scores, and Advanced Placement scores. “We are hearing a lot of buzz about the potential implications of AI in and around the college admission process,” said David Hawkins, chief education and policy officer of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “While AI can process, summarize and potentially create efficiencies for tasks that heretofore have been labor-intensive, it is only as good as the directions you give it and the quality control you exercise on the back end. It’s therefore clear that anyone utilizing AI will need to be careful about constructing the AI’s instructions and monitoring its output. Right now, there isn’t anything approaching consensus about where AI should or shouldn’t be used, though there is a common thread running through many conversations that I believe will form the basis for future best practices.”

There's still a lot we're learning about how to best use this technology in the application review process. Melanie Gottlieb, executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said, “I have not yet heard of using AI to make admissions decisions. We are hearing about using it in the field in very functional ways like making transfer recommendations, reviewing transcripts, etc. Using AI to manage rote functions more efficiently seems to be in the future. The admissions decision is not necessarily a rote function unless you are talking about an access institution.”

AI also serves as the driving force behind personalized college websites and virtual tours. As your high school student navigates a college's website, the AI system adjusts the content to align with their specific interests. This means they get to see the most suitable courses, clubs, or dormitory options for them. The same personalization applies to virtual campus tours, where AI plays a significant role in providing a tailored, immersive exploration of the college.