Australian and New Zealand students are turning away from impersonal emails and chatbots and instead choosing more direct, human ways to connect with universities, according to new data from Keystone Enrolment Services.
Survey results from 2025 show a clear shift in communication preferences among prospective international students. While email remains the most popular channel overall, with 70% still ranking it as their top option, its dominance is fading, dropping 8% compared to last year. In contrast, interest in video conferencing has surged by 33%, alongside a growing preference for in-person meetings.
The data suggests that students increasingly value personal interaction when making one of the biggest decisions of their lives: where to study.
That human touch is also paying off for universities. Keystone’s findings show that when an extra phone call is added to the recruitment process, the likelihood of a student firmly accepting their offer rises by 9%. The message is clear: real conversations still matter.
Instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat and SMS held steady as the second most popular communication channel in both 2024 and 2025. Looking ahead, Keystone expects WhatsApp usage to grow even further in 2026. Universities that have already adopted the platform are seeing students return to conversations an average of five times, with strong engagement when messages are timely and well managed.
The findings come as Keystone Enrolment Services expanded into Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand earlier this year, partnering with the University of Waikato. The move reflects growing demand from institutions for more personalised and flexible ways to engage with students.
Jenni Parsons, Chief Market & Partnerships Officer at Keystone Enrolment Services, said universities need to meet students where they already are.
“We talk about WhatsApp a lot as a communication method with our partner universities. The real key is being available on the tools students want, and we have seen a noticeable shift from live chat onto WhatsApp,” she said. “When we look back at 2023, 9% of all inbound communications were on WhatsApp. This increased to a fifth in 2025.”
However, Parsons cautioned against relying too heavily on a single platform.
“It is important for institutions not to focus solely on one channel and to maintain an omnichannel approach. Through our partner universities, we see conversion more than doubles when multiple channels are used to engage with students,” she said.
As competition for students intensifies across the region, the research highlights a simple truth: despite advances in automation and AI, students still value genuine, human connection, especially when planning their future.
