The Pulse of Higher Ed

I’ve been through the college enrollment process before, and to be honest, it’s not exactly something that I wish to do again. And yet, as part of my role at UPCEA, I regularly step into the shoes of a prospective student during our Enrollment Process Reviews. These “secret shopper” exercises involve posing as potential applicants and interacting with colleges and universities to evaluate their responsiveness, the clarity and quality of their initial communications, and how they compare to competitors and to UPCEA’s benchmarking averages.

After conducting this exercise for several institutions, a few patterns have emerged. The most effective institutions prioritize responsiveness, quality, and ongoing engagement while avoiding overly complicated processes and impersonal interactions. Below are some key takeaways about what works, what doesn’t, and where institutions might miss the mark with prospective students in the very top of the enrollment funnel.

Timely and Helpful Responses

Institutions that respond to inquiries within a few hours stand out. Those that take a full day or more, especially without providing a detailed answer, risk losing students to more responsive competitors. The efficiency of responses is particularly important for prospective graduate students – a critical market for online offerings. Two-thirds (68%) of graduate students consider three or fewer institutions prior to sending inquiries, and 67% inquire with only one or two institutions.[1] A delay in outreach may deter these inquirers, leading them to explore schools that are more responsive and proactive. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of graduate students said they are more likely to enroll at the institution that first admits them. Furthermore, 19% said conversations with staff or advisors were the most influential factor when choosing between schools, while another 15% cited emails from those institutions. [2]

Nothing makes me more optimistic about a school than a speedy response that directly addresses my question and even goes a step further, such as offering additional resources or asking about my goals. A simple, “Let me know if you have other questions” is a great start, but an overused phase, in my opinion. The best responses feel like they come from a real person who is eager to help, not from a copy-and-paste template. If I ask whether a program has evening classes, I don’t just want a link to a course catalog. I want someone to say, “Yes, we do offer evening classes, and here’s how that might fit into your schedule. Let me know if you’d like help mapping it out.”  That kind of response makes me believe that I would be well supported as a student during my academic journey.

Thoughtful Follow-Ups That Add Value

One common mistake that institutions make is assuming that a single response to an inquiry is enough. If I were really exploring my options and inquiring with many different schools, I’d probably forget who I emailed within a few days or lose track of a response in my busy inbox. The institutions that stay on my radar are the ones that send well-timed follow-ups that provide something useful, such as financial aid guidance, upcoming information sessions, or student success stories. The best follow-ups feel like, “Hey, I know you were interested…here’s something cool that might help you decide.” One particularly memorable follow-up came from an institution that shared a brief history of their college mascot. It was fun, lighthearted, and unexpectedly made me feel more connected to the school.

UPCEA’s findings show that universities that incorporate drip campaigns or follow-up emails see higher engagement rates. Conversely, we occasionally come across institutions that fail to follow up at all—meaning prospective students are left without guidance or encouragement to continue their enrollment journey.

Meet Prospective Students Where They Are

Another reoccurring misstep I observe as a secret shopper are institutions that treat every inquiry as a commitment to apply. In these instances, automated responses immediately push application links, skipping over the fact that inquirers may still be in the discovery phase. If the first email I receive after my initial inquiry says, “Congratulations on starting your application!” I immediately feel misunderstood. A better approach acknowledges where students are in their decision-making process. A message like, “We’re excited about your interest! Here’s more information, and let us know how we can help,” is far more inviting and respectful of the student’s timeline.

An Easy and Painless Inquiry Process

Request for information (RFI) forms should be as simple as possible. Yet too often, institutions ask for too much up front—home address, phone number, birthdate, start date preferences—before offering basic answers. Research from UPCEA indicates that only 60% of prospective students are willing to provide their phone number, and just 51% are willing to share their date of birth during this initial communication with an institution.[3] Those requiring unnecessary details at this stage risk deterring prospective students. I’m also a big fan of institutions that embed RFI forms into program landing pages and auto-populate the program field; that creates a smoother experience and reduces frustration. One university we recently reviewed had a three-field RFI form that prefilled program information and included a box for open-ended questions. Chef’s kiss!

Clear and Accessible Contact Options

Automation is helpful, but only up to a point. Students still want (and need) to know they can reach an actual human. Those that clearly list phone numbers, direct email addresses, or offer live chat with staff create a stronger impression of accessibility and care. When contact information is buried or limited to a generic address like [email protected], it signals that personalized support may be hard to come by.

As for chatbots, some are genuinely helpful but many fall short. If it can’t help and simply regurgitates a list of website links (often ones I’ve already looked at), I’m out. A better experience would look like this: I ask a question, the bot makes an attempt to answer, and if it can’t, it offers to connect me with an admissions rep or directs me to live support. That shows me the institution values real engagement and isn’t just trying to automate me out of the conversation.

Leave No Question Unanswered & Take Ownership

This seems basic, but it’s surprising how often it’s overlooked. One of the most important things institutions can do is actually answer the question a student asks. Sometimes I’ll ask a specific question, such as “Does your online program require a residency?” and get back a generic response like, “Thank you for your interest in our university! Click here for more information.” If I need to send an additional follow-up just to get my question answered, I already feel discouraged. The best responses engage with what the student asks, not just direct them to a website. One university in a recent enrollment process review had a very strong response rate—84% of all inquiries received a reply—but only 70% of those replies actually answered the questions asked by our secret shoppers. That gap is a missed opportunity to build trust and demonstrate support.

Equally frustrating is being told to contact someone else. If I ask about transfer credits and get a response that says, “You’ll need to email the registrar’s office for that information,” I feel dismissed. The best institutions take ownership: either answer directly or forward the inquiry internally. Don’t make the student do the legwork of navigating your internal systems. That small act of service signals that you care about the student experience from day one.

Final Thoughts

If I were a real prospective student, my decision to enroll would be heavily influenced by how I was treated during the inquiry process. Did the institution respond quickly? Did they answer my questions? Did they make me feel welcomed and supported? The schools that stand out in these enrollment process reviews are the ones that make the process feel effortless, personal, and even energizing. They make me forget, if only for a moment, that this is just a research exercise.

When institutions get their earliest enrollment communications right, they don’t just increase engagement and conversion, they build trust. They make students feel confident that they’ll be supported not just at the start, but throughout their educational journey.

[1] https://insights.educationdynamics.com/modern-learner-report-2025.html

[2] Ibid

[3] The Six Personas of the New Learner: Changing Motivations and Situations of the New Learner Landscape (UPCEA & ThinkingCap, 2021)