AI-Assisted Admissions and Enrollment Management

This chapter investigates how AI is transforming admissions and enrollment management. It highlights AI’s potential to mitigate challenges faced by staff in these units, such as data overload and high burnout rates. It also addresses benefits for applicants, such as AI’s role in making admissions decisions more consistent and less biased, as well as increasing accessible support systems for applicants. Examples of AI applications in admissions, such as automated application review, predictive analytics for yield management, and chatbots for applicant support, are provided. The chapter also explores the potential of AI-powered tools to facilitate credit transfer, as well as how AI can support non-traditional admissions qualification pathways. Ethical considerations for implementing AI in admissions are also discussed, including concerns around algorithmic bias and data usage. The chapter also notes potential practical hurdles to AI implementation, such as ensuring data readiness, bolstering AI literacy, and negotiating the costs of AI technologies. Ultimately, the chapter suggests that AI can both streamline admissions and enrollment processes and increase accessibility to higher education, provided that ethical and practical concerns are successfully navigated.