AI Chatbot University Website Admissions Questions: 30 to Cover

An AI agent on a Canadian university or college website faces roughly thirty recurring questions, and they fall into six themes. The working principle is the same for all of them: answer from the school's own published content, collect context along the way, and hand off anything that needs judgment.

Canada adds its own wrinkles. Admission is provincial, applications run through different centres, and a prospect from outside the country will ask about study permits before anything else. This list is written for that reality. It builds on our guide to AI chatbots for student recruitment and on the broader overview of AI agents in higher education recruitment.

A. Programs and admission requirements

Most first-time inquiries start here, and almost all of them can be answered from program pages and the admissions calendar.

1. Which program fits me? The agent asks about interests, level and language of study, then points to matching program pages. It does not rank programs; it narrows the list and offers a conversation with an advisor.

2. Am I eligible with my profile? The agent compares what the prospect says (Grade 12 courses, a CEGEP diploma, a college diploma, transfer credits) with the published admission requirements for that program. Borderline cases, such as mixed provincial credentials, go to admissions.

3. How do I apply? The answer depends on the school's province and the application channel it uses: OUAC for many Ontario universities, other provincial centres elsewhere, or a direct application form. The agent states the channel the school actually uses and links to its application page.

4. What are the deadlines and intakes? The agent quotes the dates on the school's own admissions calendar, by intake and by program, and says which year they refer to. If a program has no published date, it says so instead of guessing.

5. What does the selection process involve? The agent describes what the school publishes: grade averages, supplementary applications, portfolios, auditions, interviews, or prerequisite courses. Anything about how files are weighed beyond the published criteria goes to a person.

B. Tuition and funding

Money questions are frequent and sensitive. Tuition varies widely by province, program and student status, so the agent must always tie its answer to the school's current fee page.

6. How much is tuition? The agent gives the figures from the school's fee schedule for the right program and student category (domestic or international), and links to the page. It never rounds or estimates.

7. What scholarships and aid exist? The agent lists the entrance awards and bursaries the school publishes, explains how to apply, and points to government aid such as OSAP in Ontario or the equivalent provincial program elsewhere.

8. Can I pay in installments? If the school publishes payment dates and instalment options, the agent repeats them. Individual arrangements are not the agent's to grant.

9. Is there co-op or paid work built into the program? Co-op streams are a major draw in Canada. The agent explains which programs offer co-op, what the school says about work terms, and where the conditions are published, without promising placement or pay.

10. What extra costs should I expect? The agent lists what the school documents: ancillary and student-association fees, health plan, books, lab or studio costs, and residence charges. It flags that living costs are not in tuition.

C. Recognition and outcomes

Prospects want proof that a credential is worth the cost. The agent can only offer what the school has published and dated.

11. Is the program accredited or recognized? The agent explains the school's status as the school itself states it: public university, degree-granting college, or private institution operating under provincial authorization. For professional programs, it points to the published accreditation or licensing information.

12. What happens to graduates? The agent cites the school's own graduate outcomes report or employment survey, with its year and scope. If none exists, it says that and offers a conversation with a staff member.

13. Are internships and placements available? The agent describes the practicum, internship or co-op structure written in the program description, and refers to the career services page.

14. Can I go on exchange? The agent lists the partner institutions and exchange conditions the school publishes, plus any eligibility rules such as minimum standing.

15. How is the school ranked? The agent only repeats rankings the school itself publishes, such as a Maclean's category, with the edition named. It does not compare against other schools.

D. Campus and daily life

These are the easiest questions to automate, and they keep prospects moving toward a visit.

16. Is housing available? The agent explains residence options, application timing and the housing office contact as published, and mentions off-campus resources the school lists.

17. Where is the campus and how do I get there? The agent gives addresses, transit options and parking information from the school's campus pages, including multi-campus differences.

18. Can I book a campus visit or open house? The agent lists upcoming open house events and tours, and books the prospect in or hands over a booking link. This is a high-value moment to capture program interest and contact details with consent.

19. What is the format: on campus, hybrid or online? The agent answers by program, using the delivery mode in the course calendar, and says which term the information applies to.

20. What student life and support services exist? The agent covers clubs, athletics, academic advising, the writing centre, mental health services and accessibility services, linking each to the relevant page.

E. International students and paperwork

International prospects ask about immigration early, and the agent must stay within what the school can say.

21. Do I need a study permit? The agent explains that most international students need one, links to the IRCC study permit page, and says that eligibility decisions belong to the federal government, not the school.

22. What letter do I need from the school? The agent explains the school's process for issuing an acceptance letter and any additional provincial documents, as the school publishes it. Questions about a specific case go to the international office.

23. What are the language requirements? The agent states the accepted English or French tests and minimum scores that the school publishes, and notes where a program differs.

24. Will my foreign diploma be recognized? The agent points to the school's page on international credentials and evaluation. A decision on a specific diploma is a staff decision.

25. What documents do I need to submit? The agent gives the checklist from the application page: transcripts, test results, identity documents, statements. It does not accept documents in chat.

F. Questions that must go to a person

The last theme is where good design matters most. The agent should recognize these quickly, stay kind and brief, and pass context so nobody has to repeat their story.

26. Special circumstances and accommodations. A prospect mentioning a disability, a gap year, a failed year or a late transcript needs a human. The agent gives the accessibility services contact and passes the program, intake and the topic, not medical detail.

27. Financial hardship or fee negotiation. The agent shares the published aid information, then routes to financial aid staff with the prospect's program and intake. It never promises exceptions.

28. Complaints, appeals and rejection decisions. The agent explains the published appeal process if there is one and hands off to admissions with the application reference the prospect provides.

29. Wellbeing and emergencies. If a message suggests risk or distress, the agent drops the sales flow, gives crisis and campus support contacts, and alerts a staff member immediately according to the school's protocol.

30. Privacy requests and sensitive personal data. A request to see, correct or delete personal information goes to the school's privacy officer, along with the prospect's contact details and request type. The agent also asks prospects not to share health or immigration details in chat.

How routing works at a glance

Privacy, disclosure and data in Canada

Tell people they are talking to an AI, and tell them what happens to what they type. Which privacy law applies depends on the institution and the province: the federal PIPEDA governs private-sector commercial activity, Quebec has its own Law 25, and public universities often fall under provincial public-sector legislation. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is the starting point for guidance, and your privacy officer should confirm the regime that applies to your school.

In practice, three habits hold up under any of these regimes. Show a plain notice at the start of the chat, link to the privacy policy, and collect only what the next step needs. Prospects can also ask for their data to be accessed or removed, so that request type must route to a named person.

How to test the agent before launch

Run the thirty questions as a test script before the agent goes live. Each one should be asked the way a real prospect would phrase it, including a vague version, a misspelled version and a French-language version if your school serves both languages.

For every answer, open the page it should come from and check that the agent said the same thing. Mark answers that are correct, outdated, or invented. Then check the "I don't know" behaviour on purpose: ask about a program you do not offer and a deadline you have not published. The agent should say it does not have that information and offer a person.

After launch, log unanswered questions and review them monthly. Most gaps point to a missing page rather than a weak agent, so the fix is often a content update. Our article on what prospects ask before enrolling is a good source of extra test phrasings, and the comparison of an AI chatbot and a human agent helps set the line between them.