Prospective Student FAQ

Prospective students and parents ask Joy plain questions about deadlines, requirements, test-optional policy, tuition, majors, and visits, and get grounded answers from your admissions content, 24/7, with the source page cited.

For Admissions Counselors Enrollment Marketing Teams Prospective Students & Families International Recruitment
Sample prompt to Joy's Assistant

Using our admissions pages and viewbook in the Knowledge Center, answer this prospective student's question in plain language and cite the page it came from: [question, e.g., do you require SAT/ACT scores, and when's the deadline for fall?]

What it can look like

An illustrative example. Your output will reflect your own sources, data, and prompts.

Using our admissions pages and viewbook in the Knowledge Center, answer this prospective student's question in plain language and cite the page it came from: Do you require SAT/ACT scores, and when's the deadline for fall?

Pulled from your Undergraduate Admissions pages in the Knowledge Center. The scores question and the deadline both have a clean answer, and there’s one wrinkle for international applicants worth flagging.

Short version: no, scores are optional, and the fall deadline depends on which round you apply in. This is from the Undergraduate Admissions page, “First-Year Requirements.”

  • SAT/ACT scores are optional. We’ve been test-optional since the 2021 application cycle, so you can apply without scores and it won’t count against you. If you do send them, they’re read as one part of a holistic review alongside your transcript, essays, and recommendations.
  • Early Action closes November 1. It’s non-binding, and decisions are released in mid-December — this is the round most students applying test-optional choose.
  • Regular Decision closes January 5. Decisions go out by April 1, and you have until the May 1 national reply date to commit.

Two things are worth knowing if you’re weighing whether to send scores. The Honors College and our merit scholarships are reviewed under the same test-optional policy, so scores aren’t required for those either (Scholarships & Aid, “Merit Review”). And if English isn’t your first language, the TOEFL or IELTS requirement is separate from the SAT/ACT and still applies (International Applicants page).

Nothing here changes based on your intended major, so you can start the application in whichever round fits your timeline.

Want me to pull the full first-year checklist for Early Action, so you have the transcripts, essay prompts, and recommendation count in one place?

From question to cited answer in seconds

Prospective Student FAQ lets applicants and their families ask Joy anything about applying: deadlines, test-optional policy, requirements, tuition and aid basics, majors, and campus visits. Every answer is drawn from your admissions content in the Knowledge Center and cites the page it came from, so families trust what they read and your counselors stop retyping the same replies.

  1. Add your admissions content

    Upload your admissions pages, viewbook, requirements and deadlines, tuition and aid basics, and visit information to the Knowledge Center. JoySuite indexes it and keeps answers current as the sources change.

  2. Describe what a good answer looks like

    Tell Joy to answer in plain language a family can follow, cite the page each fact came from, and hand off to the right office when a question goes beyond published policy.

  3. Applicants ask in their own words

    Questions arrive in natural language: “Are you test-optional?” or “What’s the deadline for fall, and is my major offered?” Joy answers in seconds, with the source cited.

  4. Review and point families onward

    Every answer links back to the admissions page it came from, so families can read further. When something needs an individual decision, Joy names the office to contact instead of guessing.

  5. Make it one click for your team

    Save this ask as a custom command on the assistant your team already uses, so anyone can run it in one step.

Make it yours

Page Citations

Every answer names the admissions page it came from, so families can verify and read the full detail.

Always On

Applicants and parents get answers at the moment they’re deciding, including nights and weekends when your office is closed.

Knows Its Limits

For questions that need an individual decision, Joy points families to the right office instead of guessing at policy.

Spot What Families Ask

Ask Joy which questions come up most, so you can find gaps in your admissions pages and fix them at the source.

International Applicant FAQ

Focus on visa basics, English-proficiency requirements, credential evaluation, and international deadlines.

Transfer Student FAQ

Answer questions on transfer deadlines, minimum credits, and how prior coursework is generally evaluated.

Parent & Family FAQ

Frame answers for families: cost, safety, housing, and how to support an applicant through the process.

Program & Major FAQ

Zero in on a college or department: which majors are offered, prerequisites, and program-specific requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a prospective student FAQ assistant?

A prospective student FAQ assistant answers common admissions questions — deadlines, requirements, test-optional policy, tuition and aid basics, majors, and campus visits — using your own admissions content. It gives applicants and parents instant, cited answers around the clock and points them to the right office when a question needs an individual decision.

Can AI answer admissions questions for applicants?

Yes, when it’s grounded in your published admissions content. Joy answers from the pages, viewbook, and requirements you add to the Knowledge Center and cites the source, so families get accurate answers rather than generic ones. It doesn’t make individual admissions or aid decisions — those it hands off to your staff.

How does this reduce the load on admissions counselors?

Most inbound questions are the same handful of repeat items — deadlines, test policy, cost, whether a major is offered. When applicants can self-serve those at any hour, your counselors get back the time they spent retyping replies and focus on the conversations that genuinely move a decision, like campus visits and individual circumstances.

Is it available to applicants outside office hours?

Yes. Families often research and decide at night and on weekends, when your office is closed. Prospective Student FAQ answers whenever they ask, so an applicant weighing a deadline at 11pm gets a grounded answer instead of waiting until Monday.

What admissions questions can it handle?

Anything covered by your published content: application deadlines and rounds, test-optional policy, required materials, tuition and aid basics, which majors and programs are offered, international requirements, and campus visit details. It works best for policy-based questions; case-specific ones like an individual aid appeal are routed to the right office.

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