The results of our 2024 Enquiry Experience Tracker are out!

Developed in partnership with student conversion specialists UniQuest, Edified’s Enquiry Experience Tracker (EET) provides an objective assessment of enquiry management across higher education institutions around the world. This year’s research covered 102 universities and colleges across Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, and North America.

We celebrate global good practice through the EET Awards, recognising institutions who performed the best in different aspects of the enquiry experience. Here are this year's winners:

Best in region

Best in North America: Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada
Best in ANZ: Australian Catholic University, Australia
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The ‘best in region’ awards recognise institutions with the highest overall scores in each region of the world.

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology delivered the best experience out of the 35 North American institutions in this year’s research. Australian Catholic University (ACU) scored highest out of the 26 Australian and New Zealand institutions included in the study.

Chris Riley, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Global and Education Pathways at ACU says:

"Australian Catholic University (ACU) is honoured to receive the 2024 Enquiry Experience Tracker Award as 'Best in ANZ'. This recognition reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional support to international students, embodying ACU’s mission and values. Our staff's consistent efforts and the partnership with QS Enrolment Services have been instrumental in providing personalised support through each student's journey.

This award affirms ACU’s student-centred approach, and we are grateful for the valuable insights this research has provided. We continue to be committed to innovation and excellence in supporting and enriching the ACU student experience."

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Best channel experience

Best Phone Experience: Kingston University, UK
‍Best Live Chat Experience: Griffith University, Australia
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The ‘best channel experience’ awards recognise institutions delivering the best service to students through key channels. The winning institutions recorded the highest score in the global sample for the particular channel.

Kingston University gave students the best service by phone. Clare Beckett, Student Recruitment and Admissions Director at Kingston University says:

“Applicant experience is incredibly important to us at Kingston and we have been working  seamlessly and in harmony with our partners, UniQuest, to ensure the experience of each and every applicant is the very best that we can be. Every student matters to us, and we are very proud indeed to have won this award.”

Griffith University delivered the best experience globally via live chat. Stephanie Fenelon, Manager, Digital Marketing Operations at Griffith International says:

“We're delighted to have delivered the 'Best Live Chat Experience’ in the 2024 Enquiry Experience Tracker. As an institution and team who is very passionate about providing the best possible international student experience, we are so proud to have been recognised as a global leader and share this success with our partner, QS. We want international students to feel supported, informed and excited about Griffith from the first moment they engage with us, and we use insights from the Enquiry Experience Tracker to continually improve their experience.”

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Special awards

Most Improved: University of Edinburgh, UK
‍Student Favourite: The Australian National University, Australia
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University of Edinburgh was recognised as the ‘most improved’, having demonstrated the greatest improvement worldwide over the past two years. Katrina Castle, Deputy Director (Admissions and Applicant Experience) in Student Recruitment and Admissions at University of Edinburgh says:

“We are delighted that the hard work of diverse teams from across the University of Edinburgh, including Enquiry Management, admissions and recruitment colleagues, alongside our student ambassadors, has been recognised by Edified. We have taken part in the Enquiry Experience Tracker over the last three years, and it’s extremely gratifying to see how our teams have responded to previous feedback, and collaborated to improve the experience we offer prospective students and applicants.  We look forward to continuing to build on this improvement to ensure we provide an excellent applicant experience across all the University’s communication channels.”

This Student Favourite award is given to the institution with the highest proportion of positive mystery shopper ratings and highest number who said they would be likely to continue engaging.

The Australian National University gave students the most positive feeling globally, and left them feeling more likely to continue engaging than any other institution in the 2024 research. Dr. Amanda Barry, Associate Director, Future Students at The Australian National University says:

“ANU is very pleased and honoured to be named ‘Student Favourite’ globally, in this year’s Enquiry Experience Tracker. We believe our customer centric approach and having current students responding to enquiries ensures an authentic connection between future students, their families and our university. We will strive to continue to provide this level of quality service.”
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How can institutions improve their impact?

Studying abroad is a significant and costly decision for both students and their parents, making their initial interaction with a university or college crucial. This first encounter shapes their perception of the institution and can greatly influence their decision to apply. Analysing this year’s data, we sought to uncover what drives impact at the enquiry stage and to pinpoint the elements of service that most influence students' likelihood of moving forward.

Findings unveil three aspects having the strongest correlation with positive student sentiment:

1) Students feel welcome and genuinely cared for

2) Students receive inspiring and compelling content about the institution or program

3) Students continue to be engaged with ongoing communications after their initial enquiry is resolved

On the flip side, this year’s research indicates that institutions still fall short in these areas.

The 2024 Enquiry Experience Tracker Global Report offers institutions practical recommendations about steps to take to improve enquiry management and drive conversion at their institution. Get a copy of the report to see the full results along with global and regional benchmarks. The report also includes analysis of responsiveness, enquiry channels, communication quality, follow-up practices and impact.

Congratulations to all our winners for their exceptional performance in the respective categories and their commitment to delivering excellent service to prospective students!

Registrations for the 2025 research will open in November, for universities and higher education providers globally. An earlybird discount is available until 31 December 2024.

To learn more about the Enquiry Experience Tracker or get help with optimising the prospective student experience at your institution, reach out at eet@edified.com.au.