New Resource Supports Students, Families Seeking Info About Oberlin

Beginning this fall, prospective students and families around the world can get immediate answers to questions about Oberlin, including after hours and on weekends.

Oberlin has partnered with CollegeVine, an AI platform for higher education, to introduce an AI assistant that helps prospective students and families access reliable information when they need it.

The assistant will be available on Oberlin.edu, where it will be known as “Yeobie,” after Oberlin’s lovable squirrel mascot, and for phone calls to and from the Office of Admissions. In both settings, it will clearly identify itself as AI at the start of each interaction.

Available 24/7, the assistant extends support beyond admissions office hours and answers common questions, giving staff more time for in-depth conversations and individual guidance. Questions involving admissions decisions, specific financial aid packages, appeals, or other matters requiring personalized attention are directed to an admissions counselor.

The AI assistant is trained to answer visitor questions about both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music. It draws upon available content on Oberlin.edu  and other Oberlin sources of information supplied to it by the Office of Admissions, Conservatory Admissions, and campus partners such as the Office of the Registrar and Athletics. Admissions counselors will receive transcripts of the AI assistant's output in real time, allowing them to quickly address gaps in the assistant’s knowledge base.

“While this is not a decision we take lightly, adding an AI assistant is a key step in our commitment to offering all-hours support for those who hope to know more about Oberlin,” says Manuel Carballo, Oberlin’s Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. “Just as important, it helps make our admissions counselors available for the countless essential conversations we have with prospective Obies and their families every day.”

The introduction of the AI assistant to the admissions help desk comes as Oberlin collectively evaluates the advantages and challenges of using AI across campus life. 

“This initiative is one of the first pilots to emerge from Oberlin’s Year of AI Exploration,” says Marcel Mutsindashyaka, Oberlin’s Chief Information Officer. “Through this partnership between Admissions and CIT, we are exploring an opportunity to improve access to information while recognizing AI’s limitations and risks, including accuracy and privacy. The pilot gives us a way to evaluate its usefulness, maintain human oversight, and use what we learn to guide future decisions.”

Adds Carballo: “We are very fortunate, as an admissions office, to be able to evaluate such key technological decisions within the framework of the healthy dialogue we are having about AI on campus and with the partnership of vital stakeholders, including CIT.”

The “Year of AI Exploration at Oberlin,” which began in fall 2025, continues this academic year.

While efficient, the AI assistant is only as knowledgeable as the information shared with it. If you receive incorrect or outdated information, please share your experience with college.admissions@oberlin.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the new AI assistant replace people?
No. The AI assistant is a 24/7 extension of the Oberlin Admissions team. It supports admissions staff by answering questions on Oberlin.edu around the clock and taking calls after hours, when staff is unavailable. It gives prospective students and families timely information when they need it, helps staff follow up more efficiently the next day, and frees up time for in-depth conversations and personal support.

How does the AI assistant know about Oberlin?
The Office of Admissions carefully developed the AI assistant’s knowledge base using publicly available information from Oberlin.edu and official Oberlin materials created for prospective students and families.

Does the AI assistant help with conservatory questions too?
Yes, it is trained to assist with conservatory information that is available on Oberlin.edu and other official Oberlin channels, including admissions brochures.

Does the AI assistant communicate only in English?
While English is the AI assistant's primary language, it can also communicate in 30+ languages, including Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, and Portuguese. Users may request to speak with the agent in their preferred language.

How will I know if I’m interacting with AI?
The AI assistant will always begin any interaction by identifying itself as AI. Full transparency about our use of AI is essential.

What if the AI assistant is wrong?
The AI assistant draws on information supplied by Admissions, but it may still provide inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated responses. Please confirm information that could affect your application, financial aid, or enrollment directly with an admissions counselor.

The AI assistant gave me bad info. Who wants to know?
Maintaining up-to-the-minute information about Oberlin is an ongoing effort. If you receive incorrect or outdated info from the AI assistant, please tell us at college.admissions@oberlin.edu so we can update it as quickly as possible.

Who is paying attention to what the AI assistant shares?
Our admissions counselors review interactions with the AI assistant regularly, and we'll update the knowledge base as quickly as possible once we identify issues.

I don’t want to interact with AI. What can I do?
You are always welcome to connect with the Office of Admissions at college.admissions@oberlin.edu or call 440-775-8411 during business hours. For Conservatory Admissions, contact conservatory.admissions@oberlin.edu or call 440-775-8413. We will answer after-hours inquiries as soon as possible on the next business day.

How does this use of AI fit with Oberlin’s commitment to environmental sustainability?
We recognize that artificial intelligence is not environmentally neutral. Our approach is therefore to use AI thoughtfully and selectively, where it provides meaningful value to prospective students and families, as it does in this instance. As with all potential implementations of AI, the AI assistant’s usefulness should be weighed against the resources required to provide it.

Our partner, CollegeVine, builds on top of existing AI models rather than training new ones, which avoids the most energy-intensive part of AI development. For context, the energy used by a single, one-way commercial flight typically exceeds that of a full year of agent traffic several times over.

Is this just a way for Oberlin to save money?
No. This pilot aims to better serve prospective students and families by making information about Oberlin easier to access, 24/7, and creating more time for personal conversations and individual support. The AI assistant supports the people who work at Oberlin; it does not replace them. Implementing and maintaining this technology also requires an investment.

Do I need to download an app or log in to use the AI assistant?
No. The assistant is accessible directly through a web browser or a standard phone call, without requiring an account or special software.

Does the AI agent collect personal information?
If the AI agent determines that a follow-up call with a human is needed, or if the user requests one, it will ask to collect the user’s contact information for this purpose. The agent will also provide a link to sign up for Oberlin’s mailing list, but this is optional.

Does the AI assistant store my personal information, and is chat data shared with third-party vendors like CollegeVine? 
Oberlin owns all data provided to CollegeVine and is the sole user of all information received. CollegeVine securely stores the data but does not access it, and that data would be deleted at the conclusion of Oberlin's partnership with CollegeVine. CollegeVine never shares, sells, or uses student data for advertising.

I work at Oberlin. Is an AI assistant available for my area of campus?
Departments interested in an AI assistant or another institutional AI application may submit a request through the CIT Services Portal at services.oberlin.edu by selecting “Submit a project.” You can also access the portal through OberView (SSO required). CIT will work with the requesting department and appropriate campus partners to assess the need, scope, benefits, risks, and support requirements, and coordinate any necessary review through Oberlin’s AI governance process.