¬Intelligent FAQ Chatbot for a College Website Using Retrieval-Based NLP.

This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an Intelligent FAQ Chatbot for a college website, utilizing a Retrieval-Based Natural Language Processing (NLP) approach.[5] The primary motivation is to address the prevalent challenges in campus administration, specifically the inefficiency and administrative burden associated with handling a high volume of repetitive inquiries via traditional methods (email, static web pages).[3] The proposed system employs a Microservices Architecture to ensure scalability and modularity, and its core intelligence relies on an NLP model that uses advanced techniques, such as BERT embeddings and Cosine Similarity, to accurately match user queries to a pre-verified Knowledge Base (KB) of official college FAQs.[1] Quantitative evaluation using metrics like Accuracy and F1-Score demonstrates that the system achieves high performance (e.g., over 90% accuracy in query classification), dramatically reducing the mean response time compared to manual staff intervention. [8]The chatbot provides a 24/7, consistent, and accurate communication channel, thereby improving the user experience for students and parents while enabling staff to focus on complex, high-value tasks.[4] The research validates the transformative potential of combining sophisticated NLP with a robust system architecture to optimize non-academic administrative processes within smart campus management.[7]