The Challenge
Confirmation decisions have to be made inside an extremely tight window each year. Volume peaks at exactly the moment speed matters most, and a decision that arrives late can jeopardise a student's place.
Alongside confirmation, the A Level Assessment process handles a high volume of applications needing fast, accurate review against entry criteria. Both landed on the same teams in the same weeks, and the pressure showed at peak.
The confirmation window:: Decisions must be made inside an extremely tight annual window, when volume peaks and a slow decision can cost a student their place. | Assessment volume:: A Level Assessment handles a high volume of applications requiring fast, accurate review against entry criteria. | Why it mattered:: Both processes peak together, concentrating the pressure on admissions teams at the point in the year when accuracy and speed both matter most.
The Outcome
Niico deployed two agents. Both now run at scale across the processes that peak hardest.
Confirmation decisions are actioned in a fraction of the time previously required, which matters most in a period where speed directly affects student outcomes. Handling time fell from three minutes to one, across around 10,000 cases a year, at a 100 percent success rate.
The A Level Assessment agent reviews applications against current entry criteria in under a minute each and has processed 56,000 applications, freeing staff capacity at peak.
King's College London is now expanding the A Level Assessment agent beyond applicants with three A Levels to cover a wider range of qualification criteria, with rollout planned for January 2027.
Benefits
Faster, more reliable decisions in time critical periods:: Confirmation is the point in the year where a delay costs a student their place, and it is the process that got faster. | Pressure removed at peak volume:: Both agents run hardest exactly when the admissions team is under most strain. | Criteria based review at scale:: Every application assessed against the same current entry criteria, consistently, across 56,000 records. | Scope already expanding:: Coverage extends beyond three A Level applicants from January 2027, on the strength of the first deployment.
The Numbers
# Delivered | Confirmation handling time:: 3 minutes to 1 minute | Confirmation cases annually:: Around 10,000 | Confirmation success rate:: 100% | Hours saved on confirmation:: 300 | A Level assessment applications processed:: 56,000 | A Level assessment review time:: Under 1 minute each | # Roadmap | Scope expansion:: Beyond three A Level applicants, from January 2027
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