AI influence on higher ed is growing, new survey shows
Artificial intelligence is exerting a growing influence in higher education, including in the admissions process, according to research published Tuesday by the admissions assessment and analytics company Acuity Insights.
A new report follows a survey of 160 admissions leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Just over half of the leaders reported a belief that AI will transform the process of evaluating university applicants.
“With shifting enrollment patterns, increased use of AI in both application review and student submissions, and ongoing changes in funding and policy, institutions must rethink traditional approaches to recruitment and admissions,” Matt Holland, Acuity Insights’ chief executive, said in a press release.
Some institutions continue to struggle with enrollment after disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Undergraduate enrollment neared 16 million last fall, 1% under 2019 levels, according to data published last January by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. According to Acuity’s report, 41% of admissions leaders cited competition from other institutions as the top challenge to enrollment, while 36% cited a general declining interest in college education.
Fifty-seven percent of survey respondents said they are paying more attention to applicants’ personal qualities, life experiences and extracurricular contributions, as opposed to strictly academic skills.
