Written by: Alex Pacifico
Client Success Manager, Raftr
How can higher ed turn the automation surge into more time, better service, and earlier support for students?
If the past two years had a soundtrack on campus, it might be the steady hum of automation; chatbots, predictive models, and AI assistants handling communications and meeting summaries. Generative AI hasn’t just entered classrooms; it’s beginning to reshape the daily work of student services.
Of course, not everyone feels ready to embrace it. Concerns about data privacy, job security, or losing the “human touch” are real. AI isn’t here to replace people, it’s here to take on repetitive tasks so administrators can spend more time on what matters most: personal, high-impact support for students.
This post explores AI in student services, recent research, and how institutions can move from pilot projects to lasting practice (ethically and with student trust at the center).
Why AI in Student Services (And Why Now) ?
Higher ed leaders are shifting from simply reacting to AI to actively planning how to use it. EDUCAUSE’s 2024 AI Landscape Study found that student AI use is now a key driver of institutional strategy, pushing campuses to explore opportunities while also addressing governance and policy needs (EDUCAUSE, 2024a).
Meanwhile, student adoption is accelerating. Inside Higher Ed reports rapid growth in AI tutors and chatbots (Quintana, 2025), while The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights both the efficiencies AI can bring and the policy gaps that institutions still need to address (McMurtrie, 2023).
The reality is that students are already using AI…and staff interest is growing. The challenge for institutions isn’t whether to engage, but how to apply AI safely, effectively, and in ways that maintain student trust.
Three High-Value Use Cases
1. Automation that saves hours
Everyday administrative tasks like drafting emails, summarizing notes, routing tickets, or building FAQ responses are prime candidates for AI support.
An EDUCAUSE QuickPoll (2024b) found strong expectations that AI will improve efficiency, with meeting summaries and action-item suggestions ranked as immediate wins. Privacy and security, however, remain top evaluation criteria.
Practical examples:
- Drafting routine outreach (e.g., deadline reminders) for human review
- Auto-generating notes from advising or conduct meetings
- Routing incoming questions so the right office receives them first
2. Chatbots for 24/7 answers
Well-designed chatbots reduce friction for students and surface needs earlier for staff. At the College of Charleston, an AI texting bot provides personalized, year-round outreach to identify at-risk students (Lederman, 2024).
Georgia State University’s long-standing “Pounce” chatbot shows how nudges can reduce summer melt and improve outcomes (Ellucian, 2022).
Successful bots in 2025 share three traits:
- Tightly scoped to campus content (forms, deadlines, policies)
- Smooth escalation to humans when confidence is low or issues are sensitive
- Structured data capture (e.g., “I’m worried about financial aid”) to inform workflows
3. Predictive & proactive support
Analytics can flag students likely to miss deadlines, disengage, or encounter barriers. EDUCAUSE’s 2024 Analytics Landscape Study emphasizes that governance and policy alignment are critical (EDUCAUSE, 2024c).
NACUBO also highlights responsible AI investment as a 2024–25 business priority (NACUBO, 2024).
High-leverage uses include:
- Early-alert models combining academic and engagement signals
- Resource-matching (e.g., food pantry hours, childcare services) based on expressed needs
- Capacity planning for advising or counseling during peak times
Guardrails That Build Trust
As campuses move from pilots to practice, a consistent theme emerges: AI in student services must be guided by strategy, ethics, and transparency. Leaders don’t need to solve everything at once, but they do need a framework that builds trust.
Key guardrails include:
- Strategy first. Align AI with institutional mission and governance, not just available tools (EDUCAUSE, 2023).
- Privacy and security. Connect every pilot to existing data-governance practices (EDUCAUSE, 2024b).
- Equity and transparency. Students should know when they’re interacting with AI, and fairness across groups must be checked (NASPA, 2024).
- AI literacy. Faculty, staff, and students all benefit from shared understanding—reducing confusion and making adoption smoother (McMurtrie, 2023; EDUCAUSE, 2024a).
The good news? Higher ed doesn’t need to start from scratch. EDUCAUSE offers adoption playbooks, NASPA provides student-affairs guidance, NACUBO outlines operational priorities, and Inside Higher Ed highlights rapid student uptake already underway (EDUCAUSE, 2023; NASPA, 2024; NACUBO, 2024; Quintana, 2025).
Together, these resources point to the same conclusion: AI in student services isn’t about predicting the future—it’s about applying today’s tools carefully, transparently, and with the student experience at the center.
A Playbook to Get Started
You don’t need a massive initiative to see results. Start small, measure impact, and iterate.
- Define a narrow problem. Example: “Reduce response time from 2 days to 2 hours.”
- Match the tool to the task.
- Chatbots → FAQs and policies
- Generative AI → drafts, summaries, templates
- Predictive models → early alerts when data is strong and interventions are clear
- Chatbots → FAQs and policies
- Ground AI in trusted content. Keep curated knowledge bases current.
- Set clear escalation rules. Decide when and how AI hands off to humans.
- Clarify privacy practices. Be upfront about data use, retention, and FERPA alignment (EDUCAUSE, 2024b).
- Measure, then iterate. Track deflection, accuracy, satisfaction—and share results to build confidence.
Common Questions Leaders Ask
“Will chatbots really cut call and email volume?”
Yes. Especially during peak times, tightly scoped bots can deflect routine questions while surfacing complex cases faster (Lederman, 2024; Ellucian, 2022).
“What about accuracy?”
Ground bots in verified campus content, escalate low-confidence queries, and maintain human review for sensitive or high-stakes messages (EDUCAUSE, 2023).
“How do we avoid bias?”
Use only ethical data points, monitor outputs across student groups, and involve students in oversight (NASPA, 2024; EDUCAUSE, 2024c).
“Do we need our own hosted model?”
Not always. Many vendors now offer secure, FERPA-aligned solutions. Your choice depends on risk tolerance and IT capacity (Quintana, 2025).
Where Raftr Fits
At Raftr, our north star is simple: AI should free staff to focus on human connection. We help campuses:
- Centralize communication, ensuring updates are consistent and timely
- Provide always-on support via campus-trained assistants that route questions appropriately
- Deliver proactive nudges, helping staff reach students who need support early
The goal isn’t AI for its own sake; it’s AI as an extension of your student success strategy.
Final Thoughts
AI won’t replace the relationships at the heart of student services, but it can clear away repetitive tasks, extend support hours, and help students get timely assistance.
The real measure of success isn’t the sophistication of the technology—it’s whether staff gain more time for meaningful interactions and whether students feel seen, supported, and connected.
If your campus is exploring next steps, Raftr is here to help you take the first steps—thoughtfully, ethically, and with the student experience at the center.
References
- EDUCAUSE. (2023). 2023 Horizon action plan: Generative AI. EDUCAUSE.
- EDUCAUSE. (2024a). 2024 AI landscape study. EDUCAUSE.
- EDUCAUSE. (2024b). QuickPoll: AI in communications applications. EDUCAUSE Review.
- EDUCAUSE. (2024c). 2024 analytics landscape study. EDUCAUSE.
- Ellucian. (2022). Georgia State University: Pounce chatbot reduces summer melt. Ellucian Student Success Programs.
- Lederman, D. (2024, August 22). Charleston uses AI texting to identify at-risk students. Inside Higher Ed.
- McMurtrie, B. (2023, May 25). What AI means for the future of higher education. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- NACUBO. (2024). Top 5 higher education business issues of 2024. National Association of College and University Business Officers.
- NASPA. (2024). The transformative potential of AI in student affairs. NASPA.
- Quintana, C. (2025, January 7). Survey: College students enjoy using generative AI tutor. Inside Higher Ed.