SA Universities Embrace Chatbots, Online Portals For 2024 Admissions

South African universities are making a big change in how students apply for the 2024 academic year. Instead of the old way of walking in to apply, they are now using online methods like online portals and chatbots. 

This change is good for both students and the universities. It makes things easier and safer for everyone.

Before, applying to university could be very busy and even dangerous. Students had to wait in long lines, sometimes overnight, and there were even some bad accidents. But now, with online applications, all that trouble is gone.

The University of Johannesburg (UJ), University of Witwatersrand (Wits), and University of Cape Town (UCT) are seeing a lot more people applying online. UJ got over 280,000 applications through its website. 

They’re only taking 10,500 new students, but they also have a special chatbot on WhatsApp, called MoUJi, that has helped around 93,000 people. This chatbot is really useful because it gives students all the info they need, like their class schedules and exam results.

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Professor Bettine van Vuuren from UJ said that this chatbot shows how the university is leading the way in using new technology.

Wits also had a big jump in online applications, with 146,000 students applying. They offer other ways to apply too, like by email or in person for those who can’t do it online. This shift to online makes things cheaper and easier for students. This approach is also helpful for South African universities.

UCT had 92,841 applications, especially in health sciences. They plan to take in 4,500 new students. Like the others, UCT mostly uses online applications now but still takes some paper ones in special cases.

UCT’s interim vice-chancellor, Professor Daya Reddy, said that they focus on helping students use their education to make the world a better place.

In October 2023, a Cape Town insurance tech company, Rather.chat, has sold over 100,000 insurance policies through its chatbot. They even got R15 million in funding to make more advanced chatbots. 

Chatbots are becoming popular in South Africa. The use of chatbots is growing fast and is expected to become even bigger in the future.