South AfricaEducation2021 – ongoing

University of Pretoria

Student Counselling Unit chatbots SCU-B and Wysa

Pretoria's Wysa mental-health pilot recorded over 73,804 interactions after SCU-B ended

WorkingCompany's own claimOfficial ↗

Problem

The Student Counselling Unit sought to extend access to wellbeing resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approach

The university launched SCU-B with an external provider in March 2021 and ended that contract in December 2022. It then selected Wysa through a tender and piloted the AI mental-health chatbot with selected students from February to August 2023.

Results

over 11,000SCU-B interactions before its contract ended, per the universityCompany's own claim[1]

over 73,804digital interactions during the Wysa pilot, per the universityCompany's own claim[1]

1,770downloads during the Wysa pilot, per the universityCompany's own claim[1]

Over 92%positive rating and helpfulness reported for the chatbot; response denominator undisclosedCompany's own claim[1]

Takeaway

The reported interactions and helpfulness ratings measured engagement with the chatbot. They did not establish improved clinical outcomes.

Sources

Department for Education Innovation Annual Report 2023
University of Pretoria2023Company publication

Source summaries

[1]University of Pretoria2023

The university documented SCU-B's closure and the subsequent Wysa pilot. It reported interactions, downloads and helpfulness ratings, while describing wider rollout as a later phase.

Full details are in the original sources.

Added 1 Nov 2026 · Updated 1 Nov 2026