Edith Cowan University plans AI-generated admissions offers
Its AI Advantage project already supports staff assessments, with human judgement to remain part of the admissions process.
By Quang Dinh
Edith Cowan University is developing an artificial intelligence tool with the goal of issuing admission offers automatically. The university processes around 70,000 applications each year, and its AI Advantage system currently recommends outcomes for staff to consider.
Speaking at Databricks’ Data+AI World Tour in Sydney, director of student administration Peter Corbett said the university had become reasonably confident that human involvement would not be required for every application. Automatic offers remain an objective rather than a current capability.
The project uses Databricks technology to assess evidence drawn from students’ forms and supporting documents, along with university database records and published admission requirements. Corbett said the recommendations needed to show how that evidence matched the requirements of the applicant’s chosen course, while sending difficult or uncertain applications to experienced staff.
Associate director of admissions Annette Thompson said the initial model gave staff a more complete picture of applicants while leaving them able to review its recommendations and decide outcomes. She said applicants followed different pathways into university, making assessment more complex than checking fixed criteria.
Thompson said some decisions would still require human assessors; replacing their judgement entirely was not the intention. The university also hopes to develop predictions of applicants’ eligibility for courses and scholarships, but has set no timetable.
