AI in Higher Ed: The Future of Enrollment Management

US colleges and universities are navigating how to use AI technology to streamline enrollment management as demand for real-time, personalized student interactions increases. Up to 57% of higher education leaders claim their institution sees AI as a strategic priority this year, according to the 2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study. 

From basic task automation to AI-driven chatbots and data-driven conversation insights, AI adoption should focus on creating a true student-centered experience from admissions to graduation, enhancing the human element rather than replacing it completely. Complying with regulatory standards and protecting student privacy and institutional reputation are also crucial factors in this process.

In this article, we’ll cover how Conversation Intelligence Platforms (CIPs) like Mongoose use AI-powered tools responsibly and strategically to enable institutions to optimize recruitment strategies, increase student engagement, and boost enrollment conversions—all while ensuring compliance and security.

From Experimentation to Adoption: AI’s Role in Higher Ed Enrollment Operations

AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT have changed how people access information, shifting the focus from static search to dynamic, real-time conversations. As a result, the question of how AI will disrupt higher education, particularly student recruitment, has become a growing concern for university leaders.

Despite ongoing data privacy and security challenges, many higher education institutions have already begun integrating AI solutions into their workflows to optimize resource allocation and improve student satisfaction, with 52% using them for administrative tasks and 44% for institutional analytics.

What’s more, the AI adoption curve continues to shorten as universities strive to gain a competitive edge amid a shrinking student pool and declining confidence in the economic value of higher education.

The Missing Link: CRM Limitations in AI-Driven Engagement

However, many institutions still rely on CRMs that were not designed for two-way, real-time student engagement. Traditional CRMs store and organize data, but they cannot analyze the actual content of student conversations and engagement trends.

Mongoose can help institutions leverage AI-driven personalized prospect messaging and conversation insights to enhance human-driven admissions communication strategies while prioritizing data security and compliance.

Unlike CRM-based messaging tools that primarily facilitate one-way communication, Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform enables institutions to track trends in student interactions, identify key engagement drivers, and gain a deeper understanding of what influences student decisions throughout the enrollment process.

“We’re excited to see how student recruitment will evolve, but we know students can tell what’s real and what’s not. Maintaining that personal, human-centered communication will always be key.”

Brandon Wente, Associate Director of Admission, Concordia College

Transforming Enrollment Management with AI-Powered Student Engagement Platforms

Here’s a quick look at how higher education institutions can use Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform to reshape the admissions process and increase application yield.

Improve Engagement Strategies with Conversation Insights

Traditional CRMs are effective at organizing data but lack the visibility into student behavior and intent needed to identify which communication strategies resonate most with prospective students. This can cause institutions to waste valuable time and resources on outreach efforts that fail to drive meaningful engagement.

By leveraging unstructured conversational data, Mongoose provides key insights into student sentiment and engagement trends. These insights allow admission counselors to proactively tailor their messaging and refine communication strategies based on real student interactions.

“AI-mature organizations understand the power of AI to transform the complex, nuanced world of unstructured conversations into actionable insights that drive clarity, growth, and student understanding.” 

Matt Baker, Associate Vice President of Product Management at Mongoose

Automate Manual Admissions Tasks to Prioritize High-Impact Interactions

The more meaningful conversations institutions have with prospective students, the higher their enrollment yield. Yet, admissions staff often spend a considerable amount of time answering repetitive questions or performing labor-intensive administrative tasks, time that could have been better spent building trust with applicants.

Mongoose Chat can effortlessly handle FAQs and capture contact information, freeing up your staff for more high-impact interactions. The tool automatically sorts prospect inquiries into categories, flagging high-priority messages that admissions counselors can address in real-time through the live chat feature, ensuring timely, personalized support.

Unlike CRM-based chat tools, Mongoose’s platform enables institutions to transition seamlessly from AI-powered chatbot interactions to live conversations when human support is needed, reducing response times while maintaining a personal touch.

“Mongoose’s chatbot has enabled MCC to automate 80% of routine inquiries, allowing staff to focus on more complex student needs.”

Dustie Hamilton, Director of Enrollment Systems at McLennan Community College

Increase Student Engagement with Personalized AI-Driven Outreach

Admissions teams are stretched thin trying to follow up with prospective students, leaving little time for message personalization. As a result, today’s applicants, who seek authentic, two-way conversations across multiple channels, may end up ghosting institutions that can’t meet these expectations.

Mongoose’s AI-powered chatbots allow your institution to deliver 24/7 personalized support by answering routine applicant questions about admissions requirements, campus events, and financial aid. With SMS automation and AI-suggested replies, your admissions staff can reduce response time and build meaningful connections, guiding prospective students through the application process up to enrollment.

Additionally, Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform supports multi-channel engagement, ensuring that students can interact with institutions across text messaging, WhatsApp, and chat—whichever platform they prefer.

“Mongoose played a pivotal role in reducing summer melt by improving contact rates with admitted students. By following up text messages with phone calls, OSU-Cascades increased its overall contact rate from 36% to 57%.”

Alex Galbreath, Director of Admissions at Oregon State University – Cascades

Balance AI and Human Touch in Admissions Communications

There are no shortcuts to building trust. That’s why the goal of using AI in admissions isn’t to replace dedicated counselors and advisors but to enhance their ability to engage prospective students while maintaining the human touch that defines your institution’s culture.

Recent insights from our webinar with The Chronicle of Higher Education, “Empathy and AI: Transforming Higher Education Conversations with Intelligence,” reinforce why institutions must rethink their communication strategies.

During the webinar, Mongoose leaders explored the role of Conversation Intelligence in bridging the gap between AI automation and human connection in higher ed. One of the key findings discussed was that institutions engaging students in meaningful, two-way conversations see significantly higher enrollment yields.

A Mongoose study analyzing over 300,000 student conversations revealed:

• Students who engaged in 20+ two-way conversations with their institution had a 90%+ enrollment yield.
• Institutions that relied on one-way messaging alone saw far lower engagement and conversion rates.
• AI-powered chat improved response times, ensuring that students received timely support when they needed it most.

Mongoose empowers your admissions staff to strategically leverage AI-driven tools for time-consuming tasks, such as answering basic questions, analyzing conversation data, and generating reports on campaign performance. 

With that off their plate, counselors can dedicate more of their time and energy to what matters most — building meaningful connections with students.

Want to learn more? Watch the full webinar here to explore how AI-driven Conversation Intelligence can transform student engagement at your institution.

Ensure Compliance and Security in AI-Driven Enrollment Strategies

The 2024 EDUCAUSE Analytics Landscape Study reveals that only 53% of higher education institutions actively use analytics to inform their admissions and enrollment decisions. This gap means that almost half of the institutions are missing opportunities to improve their recruitment outcomes.

However, as institutions increase their reliance on AI-driven communication, compliance and data security must remain a top priority.

Mongoose ensures compliance with FERPA, TCPA, and GDPR, reducing the risk associated with AI-powered student communication. Unlike CRM-based messaging tools that often leave compliance up to the user, Mongoose’s built-in safeguards ensure proper opt-in management, regulatory adherence, and protection of student data.

This proactive compliance management allows institutions to scale AI-driven outreach without putting student privacy or institutional reputation at risk.

Thinking Ahead

While the full impact of artificial intelligence on higher education is yet to be seen, institutions that thoughtfully and responsibly leverage its potential will gain a competitive advantage.

By combining AI-driven efficiency with human connection, Mongoose’s Conversation Intelligence Platform enables institutions to scale personalized prospect outreach, improve student engagement, and make proactive, data-informed decisions—all while ensuring compliance and security.

Ready to take your enrollment operations to the next level with AI? Book a demo with Mongoose today.

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