How AI Supports Undergraduate Admission, Enrollment - Georgia Institute of Technology

For many students and their families, applying to college and navigating financial aid can be overwhelming. To make these processes more efficient, student-centered, and accessible, Georgia Tech’s division of Enrollment Management is strategically implementing artificial intelligence across its work.

“Our goal in Enrollment Management is to leverage AI as a tool to support students as they apply to and enroll at Tech,” said Rick Clark, vice provost for Enrollment Management. “Georgia Tech’s mission statement is to ‘develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.’ We take that to heart in our work, so we started asking where the pain points are in our processes. AI is not making admission or financial aid decisions, but it is helping us work more efficiently.”

Using AI to Improve the Applicant Experience

Several current and emerging projects are focused on improving the way students move through the application process.

One example is a partner project between the Registrar’s Office and the Office of Undergraduate Admission in using machine learning to support transfer equivalency evaluations. Transfer applicants need to know how credits from their home institution will count at Tech. Historically, that process required a manual review of transcripts and course information. But, by using years of existing data, machine learning is helping identify transfer equivalencies more quickly and is supporting the development of institution-specific databases.

This transfer equivalency evaluation process now takes a fraction of the time, giving both students and staff what’s needed to make informed decisions much faster.

“Over 1,400 students transfer to Tech each year, and they are a critical part of our student body. We want their initial experience to be positive, which means giving them as quick and accurate an idea of how their classes will transfer, so they can have the information they need to make a good decision,” said Clark.

AI and machine learning are also being used to assist Undergraduate Admission counselors with high school transcript evaluation. These tools can help identify key academic information, such as the number of college-level courses a student has taken, or whether a student has satisfied the University System of Georgia’s required high school curriculum. Previously, counselors gathered and evaluated much of this information manually and transcribed it into their review platform. By reducing the amount of time spent on these routine tasks, Undergraduate Admission can better support the human-centered work at the core of Georgia Tech’s admission process.

“Our goal with thoughtful AI implementation is to save time on the rote tasks of the admission process and spend more time getting to know the student in the holistic review process,” said Mary Tipton Woolley, executive director of Undergraduate Admission. “These tools do not make admission decisions; they only assist counselors in gathering the necessary information to evaluate an application.”

Timely Answers for Students, 24/7

Undergraduate Admission will also add AI agents to assist their customer service team, including a web, email, and phone agent. This is designed to provide students and families with vetted answers to common application and admission questions at any time of day. That 24/7 access is especially important for international students and students or families who may need timely answers outside of normal business hours.

“Last year, we received more than 66,000 emails and 10,000 phone calls in our communication center, which is open five days a week during business hours,” said Woolley. “That’s about 20% of the week. We wanted to implement something that was available around the clock with vetted answers. While we answer all inquiries as quickly as possible, we recognize that some questions can’t wait.”

On the Horizon: Expanding Access to Financial Aid

Beyond admission, Enrollment Management is currently developing a project focused on maximizing student financial aid opportunities.

The project will ensure students eligible for aid complete their financial aid applications. Using AI-generated historical trends and other relevant data, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid can identify these students and communicate earlier with them in a more personalized manner.

“We never want financial barriers to be what stops a talented student from coming to Tech,” said Clark. “Supporting applicants and admitted students starts with providing accurate, timely, and helpful information. Our goal is to use these tools and prior student data to proactively identify and message students, so they don’t unnecessarily leave financial aid and scholarship dollars on the table.”

Enrollment Management is partnered with Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities to ensure the division is maximizing use of advanced technology, expanding access, reducing barriers to affordability, and leaning into innovation. Learn more about Enrollment Management on the division website.

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