Smarter Course Planning with BruinBot

September 12, 2025
Newsroom

Introduction

Every Bruin knows the struggle: thousands of classes, confusing requirements, and the endless “what should I take next quarter?” headache. That’s why Ananya Anand and team decided to create BruinBot, an AI-powered course planner that personalizes schedules based on student preferences and degree requirements to streamline the process of course scheduling.

Supported by UCLA Digital & Technology Solutions (DTS) through its OpenAI pilot initiative, and developed in partnership with UCLA DGIT and the UCLA Registrar, BruinBot is reimagining how students plan their academic journey.

The Challenge

Course planning at a large university like UCLA can feel overwhelming. With more than 55,000 course sections, 7,000 instructors, 165 subjects and 138 majors, students often spend hours filtering options, weighing requirements and seeking guidance from counselors.

This process not only creates stress for students but also adds to the workload of academic advisors, who spend valuable time answering repetitive scheduling questions rather than focusing on high-value, personalized guidance.

The Solution

BruinBot was designed by UCLA students who experienced these challenges firsthand. Their goal: create a smarter, more intuitive way to plan courses.

The solution combines advanced algorithms and generative AI to build personalized schedules. After completing a simple onboarding form, students receive tailored options that consider:

Degree requirements
Preferred times, locations and instructors
Desired workload and balance

Students can further customize schedules through an AI assistant, asking questions in natural language (e.g., “What robotics classes can I take next year?”) or editing schedules directly by request. Integration with Google Calendar ensures schedules fit seamlessly into daily life.

The Impact

BruinBot delivers benefits for both students and staff:

Boosts student confidence by making planning less stressful
Supports degree completion with clear, personalized pathways
Frees up counselor time by reducing repetitive tasks
Scales across UCLA with access for all schools and majors

Feedback from early users shows that the tool resonates strongly with students, who value both the personalization and the simplicity of natural-language interaction.

Looking Ahead

The BruinBot team is exploring integration with the UCLA Registrar’s APIs to provide real-time scheduling data, making the system even more scalable and responsive. As part of the UCLA DTS OpenAI pilot program, BruinBot also demonstrates how AI can enhance the student experience while advancing UCLA’s mission of teaching, research and service.