Willy the Wildcat next to a smartphone depicting a text conversation

Meet Willy the Wildcat A.I. Chatbot

Willy is a free texting tool for admitted students that checks in, answers your questions, and helps you find the right resources at Wayne State — right when you need them.

How Willy can help you

Willy is a friendly text-based A.I. chatbot designed to support admitted students at Wayne State College. Named after our Wildcat mascot, Willy answers questions, connects you to campus resources, and helps you stay informed throughout the school year.

Once admitted, Willy will reach out by text to introduce himself and may check in from time to time to see how things are going or share helpful reminders. You can also text Willy anytime to ask questions about campus life, resources, and more.

Think of Willy as a quick, easy way to get answers, find support, and stay connected  — 24/7, right from your phone.

How to text Willy
Once you receive your first message, save Willy’s number to your contacts and simply reply to start chatting. 

Important: If you are in immediate danger or experiencing an emergency, call 911. Willy is not an emergency service.

Have questions about how Willy works?
View our FAQs

 

An illustration of Willy on smartphone

 

 

Willy is with you every step of the way.

Once admitted, start your journey

Admissions

Learn about your next steps in the admissions process.

Icon of grad cap and dollar sign

Scholarships & costs

Get quick answers about scholarships, financial aid, and deadlines.

Housing & campus life

Ask questions about our residence halls, dining, and life on campus.

First semester planning

Get guidance on class registration, orientation, and transitioning to college.

Once you're here

Academics

Get help with tutoring, advising, and study skills to stay on track.

Financial matters

Find support for financial aid, filling out the FAFSA, and payment plans.

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Student life & activities

Explore clubs, organizations, events, and ways to get involved on campus.

Health & wellbeing

Connect with counseling, recreation, and resources that support your wellbeing.

How it works

1

Willy checks in

Willy texts students at key points throughout their Wayne State journey.

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2

You can reply

Students can ask questions about admissions, campus life, support, and more.

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3

Get answers

Willy shares helpful information, links, and campus resources right by text.

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4

Find support

When needed, Wayne State staff can follow up to help students one-on-one.

What you can ask Willy

Here are a few examples of the kinds of questions students ask — and how Willy responds.

Student life

Hey Willy, what’s the correct address format to send mail to students?

Here’s the format for addressing mail to students:

Your name
Your residence hall and room number
1111 Main St.
Wayne, NE 68787

Financial aid

Willy, I can't figure out how to fill out the FAFSA. Can you help me?

If you need help with your FAFSA, you can reach out to the Office of Financial Aid at [email protected] or call 402-375-7229.

General info

Hi Willy. What hours is the library open?

Regular library hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to midnight; Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to midnight.

 

FAQs

Using Willy

  • Willy is a smart texting tool designed to answer your questions and connect you to helpful campus resources. When needed, real Wayne State staff may step in to help or follow up

  • You can ask about things like financial aid, deadlines, campus services, events, academic support, and more.

  • You’ll get quick answers and helpful links based on your question. If you need more support, Willy can connect you with the right office or a staff member who can help.

  • Yes. Willy is available 24/7, so you can get help whenever you need it.

  • No. Willy is designed to support Wayne State staff, not replace them. It helps answer common questions and connect you to the right resources, so staff can focus on more personalized support when you need it.

  • Sometimes. If questions fall outside Willy's scope, involves sensitive topics, or requires human judgment, students are guided to the appropriate institutional support channels, and their responses may be escalated to an assigned staff member for more immediate support.

How Willy works

  • Willy uses approved Wayne State information and resources to answer questions. If it’s not confident in an answer, it will guide you to a staff member for help.

  • If your question is outside of Willy’s scope or needs a human touch, you’ll be directed to the right office or connected with someone who can help.

  • No. Willy is designed with safeguards and will not go outside of its guidelines. If something isn’t appropriate or possible, it will let you know and point you to a helpful resource instead.

  • Willy can understand and respond to many commonly used languages when you ask a question. However, most proactive messages are sent in English so staff can better support students when needed.

  • Willy is designed to be efficient. It uses existing AI technology rather than building new models, and it relies on simple text-based communication to minimize energy use.

Privacy and your information

  • No. Your messages are connected to you so Wayne State can provide the right support when needed.

    Conversations may be reviewed by approved staff to help answer questions, improve information, or follow up if you need additional support. Staff do not monitor conversations in real time, and they only access messages when there’s a reason to do so

  • Yes. Wayne State College follows FERPA and institutional privacy standards to protect your information. Your data is not sold or used for marketing.

  • No. Your conversations are not used to train AI models. They are only used in real time to provide answers and connect you to support.

  • Yes. You can stop receiving messages at any time by texting "STOP".

  • Students are automatically enrolled to receive messages from Willy after they are admitted. If you lose Willy's message, or if you opted out and would like to start receiving messages again, text “START” or “UNSTOP” to 877-395-5195.