AdmitHub launches first college chatbot with Georgia State

screenshot chatbot texting
Jason Fife

May 17, 2016

To view of the results of the randomized control trial with Georgia State University click here: Case Study and Research Results

AdmitHub Launches First College Chatbot with Georgia State University

BOSTON —  May 17, 2016 Boston-based edtech startup AdmitHub has launched a text-message-based chatbot to help new Georgia State University students successfully transition to college.

“Pounce,” namesake of the GSU Panthers’ mascot, is the first university chatbot of its kind in the U.S. AdmitHub is the only company specializing in chatbots for higher education enrollment management and student persistence.

Pounce engages in conversations with incoming Georgia State students to guide them through key steps, such as filing the FAFSA, applying for housing, and registering for classes.

A product of artificial intelligence and supervised machine learning, Pounce can also answer thousands of student questions about Georgia State, student life, campus services, financial aid, and more.

Student texts with Pounce about Georgia State

In the first month since the mid-April launch, Pounce exchanged nearly 50,000 texts with more than 3,000 admitted students to help them enroll at Georgia State. In all of these conversations, Pounce routed less than 1 percent of student messages to Georgia State staff for questions requiring a human touch.


Click here for a free Student Communication Assessment


Pounce’s personalized communications platform eases the transition to college for students and alleviates the administrative load for university staff, providing on-demand answers to everything from “When will I get my scholarship package?” to “Can my dog live in the dorm with me?”

Scott Burke, Georgia State’s Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Admission, said the early results of the initiative with AdmitHub — including a 71 percent engagement rate among admitted students — have “exceeded my wildest expectations” in helping the university achieve its enrollment goals.

AdmitHub’s ability to reach students and engage in two-way conversation fills a critical need for universities in addressing student success and retention rates. By interacting with students via their preferred method of communication, AdmitHub is positioned to deliver the key information and timely assistance that students need to succeed in their post-secondary plans.

In partnership with Professors Lindsay C. Page of the University of Pittsburgh and Hunter Gehlbach of UC Santa Barbara, AdmitHub is conducting a research study to gauge Pounce’s effectiveness in helping students successfully enroll at Georgia State.

Page, who co-authored “Summer Melt: Supporting Low-Income Students Through the Transition to College,” has previously found that encouraging, text-message nudges can positively impact student enrollment outcomes and significantly reduce summer melt, wherein college-intending high school graduates fail to matriculate in the fall.


Chatbot Buying Guide AdmitHub

Download our free guide to learn more about the benefits of introducing a chatbot to your campus.

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