Universities Lost Prospective Students Over Poor Service
A new study reveals that many institutions in Australia and the UK struggle to engage applicants through indifferent responses.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in College Applications
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The Enquiry Experience Tracker study found that universities in Australia and the UK are losing potential enrolments due to generic and unengaging enquiry responses. Researchers discovered that prospective students often prefer interactions with ChatGPT over those with university staff.
Why it matters
Students frequently lose interest in an institution when generic communication fails to provide them with confidence or a genuine feeling of being valued. This lack of personalized engagement is a significant barrier to converting initial curiosity into formal applications.
The study analyzed 63 institutions across Australia and the UK using 700 test enquiries. While email and phone channels saw satisfaction rates of 87 per cent and 78 per cent, 15 per cent of all enquiries received no response at all.
The players
Deakin University
This Australian public university ranked highest among the institutions studied in its home country.
University of the Arts London
This institution ranked as the top-performing university among the UK schools included in the study.
The details
Researchers utilized six fictitious personas to contact 30 Australian and 33 UK institutions through various channels, including Instagram and webchat. The study also included a comparison of 200 enquiries lodged with ChatGPT to evaluate how university staff interactions measured up against AI-generated responses.
Timeline
The Enquiry Experience Tracker study was released in September 2026.
Culture Shift
The transition toward automated communication signals a broader change in how educational institutions maintain relevance in an increasingly digital landscape. This trend reflects the growing influence of social media and AI platforms on the expectations of prospective students worldwide.
Prospective students should anticipate more automated responses as universities attempt to address these service gaps. Applicants who feel undervalued by initial automated replies may find better results by specifically requesting human contact via email or phone.
The takeaway
Students should prioritize direct communication channels like phone or email if they are not receiving satisfactory answers from chatbots. Universities that fail to improve their enquiry response quality risk losing prospective talent to institutions that prioritize personalized engagement.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest trends in College Applications for international students.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Times Higher Education (THE).
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