Institutions have been navigating a challenging mix of policy changes, shifting visa rules, and geopolitical tensions over the past 18 months. As such, competition to attract international students has intensified. In this high-stakes environment, every stage of the enrolment process is under scrutiny, including Letter of Acceptance (LOA) turnaround time.

New data shows that faster LOA processing continues to have a strong impact on tuition deposit rates. As students face tighter deadlines and more uncertainty, institutions that move quickly may be better positioned to secure enrolments.

Here’s what the latest numbers reveal about LOA turnaround time and how institutions can use these insights to boost deposits in today’s competitive market.

A Delayed LOA Can Reduce Tuition Deposit Rates by nearly 50%

We mined proprietary data sourced from ApplyBoard to analyze how the share of students submitting tuition deposits varied based on LOA turnaround time over the past four years. Across all study levels in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the US, students who received their LOA more than five weeks after submitting their applications were 31% less likely to pay a tuition deposit than students who received an LOA within one week.

The data reveals a clear pattern: students who wait longer for their LOA are less likely to take the next step toward enrolment. While deposit rates hold steady through the second week, they begin to decline in weeks three and four before dropping sharply at the five-week mark and beyond. A delay of just a few extra weeks can significantly erode engagement, as students may shift focus to faster-moving institutions or second-guess their plans altogether.

For institutions, the takeaway is clear: Speed isn’t just nice-to-have, it’s a competitive differentiator. In today’s environment, students face tight timelines and increasing uncertainty, so even small improvements to processing times can help keep prospective students engaged and confident in their decision to enrol.

This trend holds true across both colleges and universities, but the impact varies by sector:

College-bound students show relative patience, with tuition deposit rates remaining fairly steady over a four-week wait period. But that stability doesn’t last. Once the LOA delay extends beyond five weeks, deposit rates drop sharply, falling 24% compared to the one-week group. For colleges, the window to act is a little wider, but only just.

University-bound students, by contrast, appear especially sensitive to delays. Even a two-week wait leads to a noticeable drop, with deposit rates down 11% from the one-week benchmark. That downward trend accelerates quickly, hitting a 44% decline when students wait more than five weeks. For these institutions, quick LOA delivery is crucial to staying competitive.

How Different Student Populations React to LOA Turnaround Delays

Student response to LOA delays isn’t uniform, as deposit rates vary widely by country of citizenship. Some markets show resilience over longer timelines, while others see steep drop-offs if an LOA doesn’t arrive early. The graphic below enables you to see how some of the world’s largest student populations respond to delayed LOAs. You can select different student populations using the drop down menu.

Students from South and East Asia—particularly China, Nepal, and Sri Lanka—showed some of the sharpest declines in deposit rates when LOAs were delayed. Chinese students were 28% less likely to submit a deposit after just a three-week wait, and that gap widened to 53% when the LOA arrived after five weeks. Nepal followed a similar pattern, with a 57% decline beyond the five-week mark. These trends suggest that institutions targeting South and East Asian countries need to prioritize early LOA delivery to maintain enrolment momentum.

African markets, by contrast, showed more tolerance for longer timelines. Students from Ghana and Nigeria maintained strong deposit rates even with multi-week delays, only declining by 22% and 19%, respectively, when LOAs arrived after five weeks. This suggests these applicants may be more accustomed to longer processing windows or more committed to their chosen destination.

Latin American markets like Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico fell somewhere in the middle of the above regions. Deposit rates held relatively steady through the first month but dropped more significantly beyond week five. Notably, Brazilian deposit rates declined 28% after a five-week delay. For institutions focused on LATAM, streamlining LOA processes could offer a clear edge.

How Capio Helps Institutions Strengthen Their Enrolment Funnel

In a year where application volumes have cooled and policy timelines are shifting fast, every step of the enrolment process matters more. As this data shows, delays in LOA turnaround can have a measurable impact on conversion, especially among students from highly competitive markets. To stay ahead, institutions need to not only identify where demand is growing but also ensure their internal processes can keep pace with student expectations.

Capio gives institutions the visibility to act with speed and confidence. Our Insights Dashboard helps teams monitor application trends by country, track conversion behaviour across the funnel, and benchmark institutional performance against national and regional norms. Whether you’re aiming to improve operational timelines or adjust recruitment strategies for key student populations, Capio provides the data-driven clarity needed to make smarter, faster decisions.

Key Findings today

• Across all study levels and destinations, students who received their LOA more than five weeks after applying were 31% less likely to pay a tuition deposit than those who received one within a week.
• University-bound students were especially sensitive to LOA delays, with deposit rates dropping 44% after a five-week wait.
• Students from China and Nepal showed the steepest drop-offs in deposit behaviour.