Every admissions office answers the same questions every day. How do I apply? What grades do I need? When is the deadline? Has my application been received? Writing each answer fresh wastes time and produces inconsistent replies. A set of standard answers fixes both.
Below are admissions FAQ scripts for the questions asked most often. Adapt them to your institution.
How do I apply?
Answer: You can apply online through the application page for your chosen course. You'll need your contact details, qualifications and a short personal statement. Most applicants complete the form in under an hour.
What are the entry requirements?
Answer: Entry requirements are listed on each course page. If you have different or overseas qualifications, or relevant work experience, the admissions team can advise.
When is the deadline?
Answer: The deadline for September entry is 15 January at 11:59pm UK time. Late applications may be considered if places remain.
Has my application been received?
Answer: You'll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting. If you haven't, check your spam folder, then contact the admissions team with your name and course.
When will I hear back?
Answer: Most applicants hear within four weeks of the deadline. You can track your application in the applicant portal.
When is the next open day?
Answer: The next open day is on 14 November. You can book a place on the open days page.
How much are the fees?
Answer: Fees are listed on each course page. The fees and funding page explains payment options and support. More detail is in fees and funding questions from prospective students.
Can I change course after applying?
Answer: Yes, you can usually change your course choice before an offer is made by contacting the admissions team. After an offer, changes depend on availability on the new course.
Is accommodation available?
Answer: Accommodation is available for first-year students who apply by the accommodation deadline. The accommodation page lists options and costs.
Can I defer my place?
Answer: Deferral requests are considered case by case. Please contact the admissions team with your reasons, and they'll let you know what's possible.
Can I visit before applying?
Answer: Yes, you can visit at an open day or book an individual campus tour on the visits page. Virtual tours are also available if you can't travel.
What support is available for students with disabilities?
Answer: The student support team offers help for students with disabilities and learning differences, from exam arrangements to accessible accommodation. You can contact them before applying to discuss your needs.
Keeping answers accurate
Scripts go stale. Review them before each admissions cycle and whenever a policy changes. The free FAQ generator can draft a starting set from your website, and the free reply generator helps with individual replies.
Making the answers instant
SpideyChat for education providers answers from your published admissions information at any hour, which matters because many applicants ask late at night, as described in admissions questions that arrive at midnight. Setup is in the installation guide.
Scripts in other industries
Estate agents use the same approach for buyer questions, shown in scripts for the questions buyers ask every agent. Answer-first communication that moves people to act is explored in from FAQ to sale: answer-driven selling.
From script library to chat answers
A script library only helps applicants if they can reach it, and a chat assistant on your website is one way to make it reachable at any hour. Publish the scripts above as an admissions FAQ page, or add them as Q&A pairs, and the assistant answers in your approved wording rather than paraphrasing a course page. Keep deadlines and open day dates on one page so a single update changes every answer.
The scripts also mark where the chat should stop. "Has my application been received?" depends on your applicant system, which the assistant cannot see, so it should give the confirmation email advice and offer to pass the question on. Deferrals, unusual qualifications and disability support need an adviser: the assistant can collect the applicant's name, email, course and question, or open a numbered ticket, and hand the chat to an admissions officer who is online. Open day questions can end with a request for a place, captured with the visitor's details. The AI website receptionist page shows how those requests reach your team.
When to go off-script
Individual cases, such as unusual qualifications, appeals, disabilities and personal circumstances, always deserve a personal reply. Scripts handle the routine so staff have time for these.