How NYU Scaled Admissions Support and Turned Chatbot Data into Early Warning Signals

About New York University

Founded in 1831, New York University (NYU) is one of the largest private research universities in the United States, with degree-granting campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. NYU draws applicants from around the world and is consistently among the most applied-to universities in the country.

NYU’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions manages up to 200,000 applications each year, including roughly 150,000 degree-seeking and 50,000 non-degree applications, with a team of just 25 people.

The challenge: 5x the applications, the same size team

When Kellie Fitzgerald joined NYU Undergraduate Admissions in 2008, the office served one campus in New York with 25 team members.

Today, it supports three global campuses and non-degree programs, and application volume has grown fivefold. The team is still 25 people.

That growth brought a flood of inquiries. At peak times, the office received up to 3,000 emails a day and hundreds of phone calls. Most were simple, repetitive questions that kept staff from applicants who needed them most.

“We were unable to find those people who had the difficult questions. Most questions coming in were relatively simple.“

Kellie Fitzgerald, Senior Director of Operations for Undergraduate Admissions, NYU

At the same time, NYU’s applicant pool needed support beyond business hours. Many applicants are in school during the day or live outside the United States, but phones and email are staffed only during Eastern Time (ET) zone business hours.

This created a clear set of challenges:

• Rising volume of repetitive emails and calls
• Limited availability for a global, after-hours applicant population
• Questions with many valid answers, like “When is your deadline?”
• No easy way to spot emerging applicant concerns

While other NYU admissions offices were shopping for lead generation tools, undergraduate admissions needed something different.

The solution: A personalized, integrated virtual assistant

After evaluating up to seven vendors, NYU chose Ivy & Ocelot from Gravyty (formerly Ivy.ai) for its higher education focus, cost-effectiveness, and easy-to-use administrative tools.

A quiet soft launch

Launching around 2023, just as generative AI was emerging, NYU had to address real concern among administrators about putting AI in front of applicants. So the team launched the virtual assistant quietly.

For its first year, the bot sat on NYU’s website with no promotion. The data it gathered showed exactly what applicants were asking and where answers fell short.

Separate brains for every applicant path

One early gap stood out. When applicants asked “When is your deadline?”, the bot could return a first-year, transfer, non-degree, or FAFSA deadline; all valid but not always the right one.

Working with the Gravyty team, NYU built three separate brains for first-year, transfer, and non-degree applicants. Each has its own knowledge base built from its own web content.

Custom snippets now deliver precise, pre-written answers to high-stakes questions, and the bot asks clarifying questions when needed. Hot buttons help applicants identify themselves upfront, such as applying or having applied, and domestic or international, so they get the right answer the first time.

Personalized answers through Slate

NYU then integrated the virtual assistant with Slate, its admissions CRM. Once applicants sign in to their portal through SSO, the bot can reference their record and answer personal questions like “Do you have my final transcript?”

Every conversation also appears on the applicant’s Slate timeline, so staff can see the questions applicants ask the bot.

Live chat with the same trusted team

When a question stumps the bot, applicants can escalate to a person through live chat during set hours and seasons. The staff who answers phones and email cover live chat too.

Transparency builds trust

On the advice of IT and legal, NYU skipped mascot-inspired names and called it the NYU Admissions Bot, so applicants always know they’re talking to AI. Adoption didn’t slow.

Once the bot was ready, NYU promoted it across web headers and footers, communications, and social media, encouraging applicants to try it first.

The results: Always-on support and earlier insight into applicant needs

Since implementing the NYU Admissions Bot, the office has seen measurable gains in availability, self-service, and insight.

Key results include:

• 55,000 messages handled by the virtual assistant in one year
• 96% of conversations resolved without a call, form, or live chat escalation
• 40% of activity occurring before or after business hours
• ~50% growth in usage, from about 30,000 to 45,000, once NYU began promoting the bot
• 6% decrease in phone calls, even as applications grew about 5%

The impact extends beyond the numbers.

A judgment-free space for applicants

College admissions is an anxiety-filled process. Many applicants prefer asking the bot first, because they can ask what they fear is a “stupid question” without talking to a person.

Availability that earned leadership’s support

NYU’s office hours run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. With 40% of bot activity happening outside those hours, including weekends and holidays, applicants across time zones can now get answers when they need them.

NYU had initially set a number goal for a drop in phone calls. But with more applications and more parent involvement than ever, the real win was clear.

“The return was on availability, not fewer calls.”

Kellie Fitzgerald, Senior Director of Operations for Undergraduate Admissions, NYU

Catching early warning signals

One of the most valuable outcomes wasn’t something NYU set out to solve.

When an exam board portal in India went down, the bot surfaced a sudden spike in worried questions from Indian applicants. NYU quickly sent a reassuring communication, before the concern could grow.

“It was the bot that showed us that this is a problem. Students are worried, so let’s send out a communication.”

Kellie Fitzgerald, Senior Director of Operations for Undergraduate Admissions, NYU

The data also revealed that hundreds of applicants asked whether they could visit on fully booked tour days, a question staff assumed only came up once or twice. The bot now offers alternatives like virtual tours and future dates.

From reactive to proactive

NYU turns frequent bot questions into new bot responses and reusable Slate email snippets. The approach has caught the attention of NYU’s financial aid, student success, graduate, and professional admissions offices, which now look to undergraduate admissions as a model.

Looking ahead

NYU and Gravyty are now working to make the bot more conversational in NYU’s brand voice. Admissions will also be among the first to pilot agentic capabilities, helping applicants move forward in the process instead of just getting answers.

Key takeaways: What other institutions can learn

NYU’s experience offers a clear path for admissions offices facing rising volume with limited staff.

• Launch quietly, then promote widely. A soft launch gives you real question data to find and fix gaps. A promotional launch brings in much more data to refine your answers.
• Segment your knowledge. Separate brains and hot buttons keep answers precise when one question has many valid answers.
• Measure availability, not just deflection. Round-the-clock access can matter more to applicants and leadership than fewer calls.
• Use student questions as early warning signals. Trending questions reveal applicant anxiety and unmet needs before they reach the phones.
• Bring frontline staff to the table. The people answering phones and email know which questions matter most.
• Set realistic expectations. If staff answer correctly about 90% of the time, hold the bot to the same standard.

NYU built an always-on support channel that frees its team for the conversations that need a human, and shows them what applicants need before they have to ask.

Solutions spotlight

Gravyty is the AI-powered engagement platform purpose-built for higher education, K-12 schools, and nonprofits. From first engagement to first gift, Gravyty empowers institutions to deliver smarter, faster, and more personalized engagement at every step of the student and donor journey. With solutions for 24/7 student support, alumni engagement, fundraising and stewardship, Gravyty helps teams scale their impact, break down silos, and provide always-on support without burning out staff.

Ivy & Ocelot from Gravyty empowers teams to create always-on, high-touch communication, without increasing staff workload. From AI-powered virtual assistant and live chat support to CRM integrations and data-powered insights, Ivy & Ocelot helps higher education institutions like NYU drive meaningful engagement, streamline support, and ultimately increase enrollment yield.