When we hear about automation and AI in education, it’s usually to talk about ChatGPT’s impact on student essays. But in higher education, automated technologies are also making waves in the back office. Higher education leaders are increasingly turning to business process automation to boost application processing, improve the student experience, and reduce administrative paperwork.
What is business process automation? It’s the use of technology to automate all the manual, repetitive tasks that hinder efficiency and delay processing times. Tasks become more than just a shuffle of paperwork—they move through a workflow like an item on a conveyor belt.
Software performs tasks, such as populating databases life insurance email list or filing forms. Humans make decisions and approve applications. An automation strategy can turn a process that takes weeks into a process that takes days.
How? Higher education is one of the most paper-intensive industries, making it a prime use case for automation. From student records and applications to equipment requests and administrative forms, the sector is inundated with paperwork.
Higher education institutions are rapidly moving to digital. More than 50% of higher education institutions say that over the next five years, they will use automation even more to achieve their digital transformation goals. They are automating tasks and activities in the registrar , financial aid, admissions office, and more.