Most students who contact a university or college get a decent experience, and sometimes a genuinely great one. But not all of them. As part of Edified’s 2026 Enquiry Experience Tracker, our mystery shoppers placed more than 700 enquiries with 63 universities across Australia and the UK, representing six different types of domestic students, including high school students, parents, mature age students and career changers.

Buried in those 700 conversations are a small number of genuinely bad experiences. They are not the norm – most behaviours below only showed up in a small number of enquiries – but when they happen, they leave a mark. Students used words like frustrated, ignored and disappointed, and several said the experience alone would put them off applying.
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Here are six behaviours that, however rare, are worth stamping out.

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1. Talking in code

Jargon and undefined acronyms appeared in 32 of the 700 responses. It sounds minor, but unclear language can make an institution feel out of reach, leaving students wondering whether they’re already expected to know things they don’t.
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“The response provided a list of what to do next but it had multiple acronyms, so it was difficult to keep up.” – High school student, UK

“At times it felt patronising to be asked ‘are you still confused?’ while she took me through the maths of the course fees, even though she was describing it in a confusing manner.” – Career changer, Australia

“They used the acronym ‘AHPRA’ when stating the requirements. The term was undefined and doesn’t explain anything that was obvious to me.” – University student, Australia

None of these are difficult to fix. They simply require staff to explain things from the student’s perspective, assuming they’re hearing the information for the first time. Every enquiry is an opportunity to build confidence, not alienate prospects by reminding them of what they don’t know.

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2. Answering without answering

Sometimes, instead of answering a question directly, institutions send students back to the website to find the information themselves. It’s a major source of frustration because the whole reason students contact an institution is to get help.
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“I personally dislike when I’m invited to find the answer myself on a website. I would prefer if the person answered as many questions as possible in the first instance.” – Mature age student, Australia

“The response mostly just redirected me to their website. I would not be very likely to reach out to this institution again. I have a very neutral, forgettable impression of this institution.” – High school student, UK

“She merely provided the minimal information to answer the question, and did not offer any information not already found on their website.” – Parent, Australia

“All my questions were vaguely addressed, however I was redirected to the website for most of the response, and not given the actual answers I was seeking.” – High school student, UK

A website is an important resource, but it shouldn’t replace a conversation. Students often contact an institution after they’ve already visited the website. They may not have found the answer they needed, or they may simply want help applying the information to their own circumstances. Start by answering the question, then use the website to reinforce or expand on the advice you’ve already provided.

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3. Passing the buck

Related, but distinct, is being bounced from person to person or department to department, with nobody taking ownership of the whole enquiry.
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“I was left wondering, why have an enquiries team if all they do is signpost enquiries to other parts of the university?” – Parent, UK

“Whatever I ask, they generally direct me to the website or provide separate email addresses for accommodation, career opportunities and other services. They expect me to contact each department separately.” – Parent, UK

“My accomodation question was not answered and I was asked to get in touch with another team.” – High school student, Australia

“The call handler was polite but every question I asked I was referred to another department.” – Parent, UK

Students don’t think in organisational charts. They simply expect the institution to help them find the answers they need. Every transfer, referral or additional email creates another opportunity for them to disengage.

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4. Keeping them hanging

Long hold times are frustrating. Long hold times paired with repeated promises that you’re ‘next in the queue’ are worse. In our research, nine phone calls rang out completely despite callers repeatedly being told they were next.
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“I was ‘first in line’ for most of the call. After just under six minutes, a recorded voice thanked me for waiting and said ‘all our consultants are busy but we will get back to you ASAP’. It then beeped for me to leave my details and just cut off.” – Career changer, UK

“Each time, a pre-recorded voice told me I was next in the queue, but no one picked up.” – Parent, Australia

“Having to wait longer than 15 minutes as third in line perhaps indicates a lack of staff, which in turn indicates a university cutting back on important resources.” – Parent, Australia

“The line rings for up to a minute, then there’s an auto message saying they can’t take my call, with no context given, and then it ends. They lost a prospect.” – Career changer, UK

Students are generally patient if expectations are realistic. What frustrates them is when the experience doesn’t deliver on the promise.

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5. Going through the motions

Sometimes it isn’t what’s said, but how it’s said. Almost 20 responses carried a tone that students described as rude, dismissive or condescending.
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“I heard the staff sigh when we were about to finish the call, which makes me feel she is not very passionate about her job.” – Career changer, Australia

“She sounded impatient and like she was on autopilot. Her tone made me feel like I wanted to hang up.” – Career changer, UK

“It felt as though the university was not interested in appealing to students, and instead was doing the bare minimum in order to get by.” – High school student, Australia

“Didn’t use my name and didn’t feel like I was talking to an actual human. Really lazy and uninformative.” – High school student, UK

None of these students received incorrect information. They simply came away feeling like an inconvenience rather than a prospective student. That’s much harder to fix with a new process or script. It requires investing in the people who represent your institution every day.

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6. Giving the silent treatment

The single most common – and most damaging – behaviour on this list is not responding. A significant 65 of the 700 enquiries received no response at all.
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“After the course adviser missed our first appointment, they emailed to apologise and said an event had run longer than expected. We made another time, but they didn’t call for this appointment either.” – Career changer, Australia

“I don’t feel satisfied at all because my enquiry was never responded to. It feels like they don’t care.” – High school student, UK

“I sent a detailed email with genuine questions about course flexibility, workload, career outcomes and whether the program would realistically fit around parenting responsibilities as a mature age student, but I received no response at all.” – Mature age student, Australia

If a student never hears back, everything else on this list becomes irrelevant. There’s no tone to critique and no jargon to untangle – there’s simply silence and a student who has already moved on.

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What this tells us

These moments are the exception, not the rule. Most of the 700 enquiries in this year’s Enquiry Experience Tracker research were handled well, and many were handled excellently. But mystery shopping exists precisely to uncover the exceptions, because students don’t experience averages. They experience one interaction, one conversation and one first impression.

Institutions don’t usually hear about these moments. Most students don’t make a complaint or complete a survey. They simply move on.

That’s why mystery shopping matters. It reveals the experiences institutions never see, showing what actually happens when a prospective student reaches out. It may not reflect the intended experience, but it reflects a real one. 

The important question isn’t whether these behaviours happen. It’s whether you know when they do.

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The full picture lands on 1 October

These six behaviours are just one slice of this year’s findings. The 2026 Enquiry Experience Tracker explores how institutions perform across a range of enquiry channels, which universities are leading the way in Australia and the UK, how AI-generated responses compare with human ones, and the patterns that make students more likely to continue engaging rather than quietly move on.

Sign up now to receive the full report the moment it's released.

To learn more or get help with optimising the prospective student experience at your institution,
get in touch.

Elissa Newall
Senior Partner
elissa@edified.com.au