Universities use AI to boost international student acceptance rates

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Education technology companies are now marketing AI services that help universities determine the likelihood of successful international student candidates.

BorderPass and ApplyBoard are two Canadian companies that help international students access education abroad. Recently, they have introduced AI technology that ranks university applications to determine their likelihood of receiving a provincial attestation letter (PAL) — Canada’s latest requirement for international students. An applicant’s chance of approval is based on factors like financial stability, visa history and other risk factors identified by lawyers and immigration experts.

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“(The platform) provides accurate assessments of applicants’ chances for successful immigration and employment outcomes, helping to avoid unnecessary expenses and ensuring only the most qualified applicants are issued a PAL,” Jonathan Sherman, head of sales and partnerships at BorderPass, told The PIE, an international trade magazine.

In January, Canada announced that it would decrease the number of study permits issued to international students to approximately 360,000 in 2024, a 35 per cent decrease from 2023. The study cap limits each province and territory to a number of provincial attestation letters based on their respective populations.

All international student applications after Jan. 22 must now include a provincial attestation letter with their study permit. However, since spots are limited, Canadian schools need to be more selective when accepting candidates. Each incomplete student acceptance represents lost revenue for the institution.

To help universities and colleges determine the likelihood of successful candidates, BorderPass and ApplyBoard use AI to rank student application profiles and attributes. Scott Harper, the chief recruitment officer of ApplyBoard, told The PIE.

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“For instance, if a student has paid a tuition deposit for one application, the application’s ranking towards other institutions will be immediately updated,” he said.

ApplyBoard and BorderPass claim that their technology will help Canadian schools accurately predict which admitted students will accept an offer.

ApplyBoard and BorderPass further claim to help post-secondary institutions improve diversity on campus.

“We’re still hearing from a number of institutions that diversity is important. So, this tool allows institutions to continue to diversify but also maximize ​​attestation letter conversions,” Harper said.

However, the specific criteria for-profit companies use, alongside student data and AI, to determine student eligibility remains unclear. International student approval ratings vary and are dependent on factors such as the cultural, historical, economic and political environment of the student’s home country.

A number of institutions in Ontario, including Centennial College, are currently using BorderPass, The PIE reports.

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