University of Nottingham Malaysia has become the first higher education institution in Malaysia to deploy Salesforce's Agentforce platform, as it moves student recruitment and admissions into an AI-driven, always-on digital model.
The university is rolling out an AI agent, branded NOVA (Nottingham Online Virtual Assistant), for prospective students who are researching courses and preparing applications. NOVA will provide real-time answers on course eligibility, fees, scholarships and accommodation, and will also handle appointment scheduling with course advisers and campus tour bookings.
Salesforce said UNM will run the Agentforce-based assistant across its website and major messaging channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook and WeChat. The university plans to integrate the agent into existing deployments of Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Digital Engagement and Einstein.
International students account for more than half of UNM's applicants. Many of them contact the university outside Malaysian business hours. The institution expects NOVA to manage a large share of these enquiries and reduce waiting times for responses.
With the assistant taking on routine administrative interactions, UNM expects its human advisers to spend more time in-depth with students in person or in live conversations.
AI in recruitment
UNM was established 25 years ago as the first overseas campus of a UK university. It serves more than 4,500 students from over 70 countries and offers degrees across business, engineering, science and the arts.
The decision to adopt Agentforce is part of a wider digital strategy at the campus. UNM said it aims over the long term to build a unified digital touchpoint that will support prospective and current students through each stage of their time at the university.
NOVA will field what UNM describes as "smart course enquiries". The AI agent will provide instant, consistent responses on course information, entry criteria, fees and scholarship options. The university expects this to reduce response times and improve satisfaction among applicants who previously relied on email or call centre interactions.
The system will also give prospective students information about scholarships and bursaries that they may be eligible for, based on their academic results and other achievements. It will provide guidance on accommodation choices on or near the campus.
Students who want to speak with a counsellor or book a campus visit will be able to self-schedule appointments through NOVA. The agent will present available time slots in real time, which removes the need to wait for manual confirmation from staff.
Human oversight
UNM has positioned the deployment as a way to expand access rather than replace human contact in the recruitment process. The university said counsellors will still be available through the interaction for students who need direct support.
"We're excited but very aware of the large responsibilities involved by being the first university in Malaysia to adopt Agentforce, enabling us to give every prospective student personalised guidance 24/7 in multiple languages. This allows our course counsellors to focus on other face-to-face interactions and advising future students on getting the most out of their university experience," said Jagdish Singh Malhi, Director of Student Recruitment and Marketing, University of Nottingham Malaysia.
Malhi said the university would maintain access to human advisers alongside the AI assistant.
"A real counsellor will still be reachable through the interaction, so we're not removing that from the experience. However, by embedding AI-driven solutions into campus life, we hope to give students a glimpse of the real-world impact of technology and equip them to take the same innovative mindset into their careers," said Malhi.
Salesforce partnership
The Agentforce rollout builds on UNM's previous work with Salesforce. The university already uses Sales Cloud for managing enquiries and leads, Marketing Cloud for outreach, and Digital Engagement and Einstein for customer interaction and analytics.
Salesforce describes Agentforce as a digital labour platform integrated with its core applications and Data Cloud. UNM will use Agentforce within Sales Cloud for processing student enquiries and managing conversion of prospects into applicants.
From Salesforce's perspective, the project represents a reference case for the use of autonomous AI agents in higher education across admissions and student services.
"University of Nottingham Malaysia is setting a new benchmark for student-centric innovation in higher education by transforming themselves into an Agentic Enterprise," said Arun Kumar Parameswaran, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, South and Southeast Asia, Salesforce. "By harnessing Agentforce on the deeply unified Salesforce Platform, UNM is reimagining how work gets done across admissions and student services - uniting human expertise with autonomous AI agents to deliver personalized guidance at scale and unlock a truly borderless learning experience."
UNM plans to extend the use of NOVA beyond the current recruitment cycle, with a view to supporting both incoming and current students as it develops its digital services across the campus.