The Pulse of Higher Ed

Introduction

Enrollment managers face a paradox: students demand personalized service, yet resources are shrinking. While AI is exciting, it is also an expensive endeavor for enrollment management divisions already stretched by staffing and resource challenges. Traditional methods—manual file reviews, siloed systems, and lagging indicators—simply can’t keep up. The solution lies in determining how to leverage AI effectively to serve students more efficiently and strategically.

From Predictive to Agentic AI

Predictive AI is already common. It helps forecast yield, retention, and financial aid leveraging, and is embedded in many widely used enrollment management platforms as well as deployed by consulting teams. Tools like Drift and Element451, for example, use predictive AI to anticipate student questions and trigger personalized communication workflows.

Generative AI enables hyper-personalized messaging at scale, creating authentic communication threads that meet student expectations for immediacy. Increasingly available within EM software platforms, generative AI gives staff the ability to design tailored messages that address individual student needs quickly.

Agentic AI is less common in the EM space but is rapidly emerging. It has the potential to autonomously manage workflows such as transcript review or matching students to program pathways. What once seemed futuristic will soon become standard practice.

What This Looks Like in Practice

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University uses AI to identify students at risk of non-enrollment, prompting proactive advising interventions. (Selingo, 2020).
• Georgia State University has built predictive models to trigger real-time retention outreach. (NISS, 2025).
• Georgia Tech’s “Jill Watson” AI assistant pioneered chatbot functionality that now supports students 24/7 with FAQs. (Design Lab, 2025).

Challenges to Address

AI is not a silver bullet. Bias in data, privacy regulations (FERPA, GDPR, PIPL), and the need for staff data literacy are real hurdles. Institutions must adopt governance frameworks that ensure transparency, equity, and ethical use. Leaders must also be vigilant about bias in predictive models—especially in financial aid leveraging, where inequitable outcomes can easily emerge if historical patterns go unchecked (Upton, 2024).

The Future Is Already Here

Enrollment leaders are already reimagining their work with AI. Forward-looking universities are piloting tools to read and interpret transcripts—one of the most manual, error-prone tasks in admissions. Others are applying AI to financial aid leveraging to align resources with yield and enrollment goals. Progress in these areas will depend on our ability to balance innovation with stewardship of limited resources (Flaherty, 2024).

Final Thoughts

A poor experience with an AI customer service agent—stuck in loops, with no human support available—highlights the danger of overreliance on automation. In enrollment management, the lesson is clear: AI should not replace the human element. Instead, it should amplify staff capacity, freeing time for mentoring, advising, and personalized support that algorithms cannot replicate.

Joseph Aoun coined the term Humanics in his 2017 book Robot-Proof, emphasizing that what makes us human is our creativity, mental flexibility, and ability to think across disciplines. These qualities are irreplaceable in an AI-driven world. As Stefano Puntoni observed at SXSW (2025), “Gen AI adoption is really a human capital story more than a tech story.”

Key Takeaway

AI should manage scale, while humans provide connection. The future of enrollment management belongs to professionals who blend AI-enabled insights with authentic, student-centered interactions.

 

Resources

Aoun, J. E. (2017). Robot-proof: Higher education in the age of artificial intelligence. MIT Press.

Design Intelligence Lab. (2025). Jill Watson. Georgia Institute of Technology. https://dilab.gatech.edu/jill-watson/

Flaherty, C. (Host). (2024, December 20). Enrollment management’s AI future (No. 139) [Audio podcast episode]. In The Key with Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/podcasts/key-podcast/2024/12/20/ep-139-enrollment-managements-ai-future

National Institute for Student Success. (2025). Georgia State University. Georgia State University. https://niss.gsu.edu

Puntoni, S. (2025, May 8). Five ways AI is changing workplace identity. Knowledge at Wharton. University of Pennsylvania. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/five-ways-gen-ai-is-changing-workplace-identity

Selingo, J. J. (2020). Who gets in and why: A year inside college admissions. Scribner.

Upton, B. (2024, November 11). Beyond the hype: Understanding and unlocking AI’s potential in enrollment management. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/reports/2024/11/11/beyond-hype-understanding-and-unlocking-ais-potential-enrollment-management

 

Vickie Cook is the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Retention Management and a Research Professor of Education at the University of Illinois Springfield, as well as a Strategic Advisor for UPCEA Research and Consulting.  To learn more about UPCEA Research and Consulting, please contact [email protected].