Deakin University and the University of the Arts London (UAL) delivered the best enquiry experiences for prospective domestic students in Australia and the UK, topping the 2026 Enquiry Experience Tracker (EET) results.

Deakin came first among 30 Australian institutions. UAL came first among 33 UK institutions. James Cook University (JCU) won three awards – more than any other university – a huge vote of confidence for the Future Student Contact Centre that opened only in March 2025.

Getting an enquiry right is harder than it looks. Across this year's research, only half of responses felt warm and welcoming, and just two-thirds answered every question a student asked. Out of 63 institutions, 10 stood out, winning 14 awards across four categories. Behind every award is a person who picked up the phone, replied to the email, answered the chat or responded to the DM. 

Congratulations to every team recognised.

Here are this year’s winners:

‍

‍

Best in country

The ‘best in country’ award goes to the institution with the highest overall Enquiry Experience Score in each country. The score counts every enquiry and covers the full experience: enquiry channels, responsiveness, communication quality, follow-up and impact.

🇦🇺 Deakin University

Deakin delivered the strongest overall experience of the 30 Australian institutions in the research. It also delivered Australia's best web chat experience, with the highest score for a web chat enquiry. In 2026, web chat covered both live chat with a staff member and chatbot interactions.

Jessica Ward, Manager Prospective Student Enquiries at Deakin University, said:

"Deakin University is proud to be recognised as Australia's leading institution for both overall enquiry experience and web chat in the 2026 Edified Enquiry Experience Tracker. This reflects our commitment to providing prospective domestic students with personalised, timely and meaningful support as they explore their study options. Every student has a unique set of circumstances and our team is committed to understanding their needs so we can provide a consistent, high-quality experience at every stage of their journey.”

‍
🇬🇧 University of the Arts London (UAL)

UAL achieved the highest overall score of the 33 UK institutions in the 2026 sample. Louisa Miles, Applicant Relations Manager at UAL, said:

"UAL's Applicant Relations team is proud to be recognised as Best in the UK in this year's Enquiry Experience Tracker. By acting upon applicant insight and feedback from the Enquiry Tracker, we have strengthened our personalised approach, combining this with clear and focused applicant support. We're committed to delivering an outstanding experience that instils confidence and combines operational excellence with meaningful human connection."

‍

Student favourite

The ‘student favourite’ award goes to the institution with the highest impact score in each country. It reflects how mystery shoppers felt after enquiring: their satisfaction, their sentiment towards the institution and how likely they were to continue engaging.

🇦🇺 University of the Sunshine Coast

The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) was Australia's student favourite. Mystery shoppers felt more positive after dealing with UniSC than with any other Australian institution, and said they were more likely to continue engaging with it.

Telena Thompson, Associate Director, Student Experience at UniSC, said:

"Being named Australia's Student Favourite is incredibly meaningful because it's based on the genuine experiences of prospective students connecting with UniSC for the first time. The results show us that from the very first enquiry, students feel welcomed, supported and confident that UniSC is a place where they can thrive. This award recognises the passion and commitment of our people, whose care, expertise and dedication help prospective students feel informed, supported and confident in their decision to study at UniSC."

‍
🇬🇧  University of Salford

The University of Salford was the UK's student favourite. Mystery shoppers felt more positive after dealing with Salford than with any other UK institution, and said they were more likely to continue engaging with it.

Victoria McKay, Applicant Services Manager at the University of Salford, said:

"The University of Salford's Applicant Services Team is proud to be recognised as the UK's 'Student Favourite' in the 2026 Enquiry Experience Tracker. It is wonderful to see the hard work and commitment of our team recognised through the experiences and feedback of our applicants. For us, this award is not just something to celebrate; it is motivation to keep improving."

‍

Most responsive

Most responsive goes to the institution with the best responsiveness score in each country, based on how quickly it replied to enquiries.

🇦🇺 James Cook University (JCU)

JCU achieved the highest responsiveness score of the 30 Australian institutions. It also recorded Australia's highest scores for phone and email enquiries, delivering excellent service on those channels across responsiveness, communication quality, follow-up and impact.

Regina Blackburn, Associate Director, Future Students (Domestic) at JCU, said:

"We're incredibly proud to receive these awards, particularly given our Future Student Contact Centre has only been operating since March 2025. In a relatively short time, the team has put an enormous amount of work into learning, training and continually refining how we support prospective students. Ultimately, everything we do is about giving prospective students the best possible experience with JCU, from their very first enquiry, and helping them feel informed, supported and confident in choosing JCU."

‍
🇬🇧 University of Exeter

The University of Exeter had the highest responsiveness score in the UK. It replied to every enquiry it received, and on average replied faster than any other UK institution in the sample.

‍

Best channel experiences

Channel awards recognise the institution with the highest score for an enquiry on each channel evaluated in each country. In Australia, Deakin (web chat) and JCU (phone and email) also won, as covered above.

The University of Aberdeen won two channel awards, for the best web chat and best phone experiences in the UK. Fiona MacMillan, Enquiry and Conversion Manager at the University of Aberdeen, said:

"We're delighted to have been awarded with the Enquiry Experience Tracker 2026 'Best UK Phone Experience' and 'Best Webchat Experience'. This achievement reflects the dedication of our teams, who strive to provide an excellent experience for every prospective student. Whether through a phone call or a webchat conversation, our focus is always on making it easy for students to get the information they need and feel confident about their next steps."

‍
The University of South Wales (USW) recorded the highest UK email score, delivering the best experience of all the email and web form enquiries assessed.

Instagram was the weakest channel overall this year, with just 79% of enquiries receiving a reply. That makes the Instagram winners stand out. Murdoch University delivered the best Instagram experience in Australia, and the University of Stirling did the same in the UK, each coming out on top of all Instagram enquiries placed in their country.

‍

Congratulations to all the winners

Well done to every team recognised this year. Behind each award is a team that answered the phone, the chat, the email or the DM, and left a prospective student feeling they had come to the right place. You've shown what a great first conversation with a university looks like.

‍

About the Enquiry Experience Tracker

The Enquiry Experience Tracker is Edified’s annual mystery shopping and benchmarking study. Developed with UniQuest it gives an objective assessment of enquiry management at higher education institutions around the world. The 2026 study focused exclusively on domestic prospective students, covering 63 institutions across Australia and the UK. 

Download the 2026 Enquiry Experience Tracker sector report for the full results

‍