SMS for Higher Education
Reach students where they are – on their phones
Our text messaging solution is built through years of collaboration with customers in the some of the largest colleges & universities.
Driving Impact for Thousands of Brands
As a trusted partner in SMS marketing, TrueDialog delivers.
Why SMS Matters
SMS texting in college admissions is a necessity. Research shows today’s students overwhelmingly prefer text messaging and often don’t respond to traditional phone or email marketing.
While enrollment and retention rates are critical metrics, higher education texting offers many other valuable benefits as well. An effective text message system for universities enables educational institutions to reach their students more directly and reliably.
College Students Prefer SMS for Universities
Text messaging dominates the modern communication landscape, and nowhere is this more evident than on higher education campuses.
Recent studies show that 95% of 18–24-year-olds own cell phones and 97% of those use text messaging extensively. On average, this demographic sends around 110 texts per day or more than 3,000 text messages per month. That makes them a highly captive audience.
These numbers are nearly double those for ages 25–34 and triple those of people 65 or older. Clear evidence that sms for universities has become a critical part of higher education communication and marketing.
One of the most common frustrations from university administrators is that schools can’t reach students. They frequently won’t answer their phones and miss or simply don’t respond to emails.
Besides social media apps, texting is the only way many students want to communicate. In fact, an estimated 97% of text messages are read in three minutes or less.
Use Cases for Higher Education
With a college SMS system, higher education facilities can easily send students reminders about:
- Tuition Deadlines – inform students of upcoming fees and deadlines.
- Incomplete Applications – courtesy reminders for missing forms or transcripts.
- Event Notifications – registration drives, career fairs, open houses, or alumni events.
- Financial Aid Deadlines – ensure FAFSA and scholarship applications are completed on time.
- Urgent Alerts – extreme weather, security incidents, or emergencies.
- Student Retention & Success – reminders, resources, and support to keep students on track.
- Alumni Engagement – keep graduates connected with events and giving campaigns.
SMS text messaging can also be used to quickly coordinate meetings and schedule interviews with support staff. This eliminates the back-and-forth associated with phone calls or emails.
Benefits of Text Messaging in Higher Education
The benefits of incorporating SMS text messaging are undeniable, both from the student’s perspective and the institution’s. Students get the assistance they need in near real-time communication, along with relevant reminders about upcoming events, due dates, or submission requirements.
Universities receive value from improved response rates, higher enrollment yield, stronger retention metrics, and overall student engagement.
A recent study showed that proactive messages in the form of gentle reminders are well-received and increase the timeliness of assignments.
The Impact of the Pandemic
While students are returning to campuses – either full-time or in a hybrid approach – perspectives have shifted with the pandemic. One thing that is here to stay is the ability to pass information without requiring in-person meetings.
Many institutions adopted higher education texting solutions during the pandemic. For example, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission launched the “Txt 4 Success” program to help students with registration, tuition deadlines, and FAFSA completion.
Dr. Paul Hill, Chancellor of the HEPC, noted:
- Students were more comfortable using texting.
- Retention rates and attempted credit hours increased.
- Texting opened the door for easier conversations.
“Everyone loves TrueDialog’s robust features and seamless integration with our CRM.”
“By making the experience quick and convenient with texting, we are seeing more engagement from students, which is helping us build better relationships with them.”
Reach Every Student, Every Time
TrueDialog’s sms software for colleges elevates communication beyond email.
Securely reach students anytime, anywhere, with instant alerts, targeted messaging, and personalized support.
Set up in minutes. Add and change user accounts with our drag-and-drop account tree.
Loved by colleges and universities nationwide. Experience the transformative power of a unified SMS communication platform and watch your campus community thrive.
Enterprise-Grade SMS Texting Solutions Designed for Education
Choosing the right platform matters. A reliable higher ed texting platform should:
- Integrate seamlessly with your CRM.
- Be affordable, scalable, and easy to use.
- Support both mass notifications and one-to-one communication.
- Offer advanced features like dedicated numbers and free multi-channel alerts.
Boost Enrollment, Student Communications, and Alumni Engagement
Elevate engagement and retention with SMS by delivering timely, personalized messages that matter.
From application reminders and acceptance updates, to tailored retention offers and event notifications, SMS helps you connect with your students in meaningful ways.
Collect feedback, drive donations, and keep communication relevant through smart audience segmentation.
Implement the Best
SMS for universities has become a high-leverage channel with powerful ROI. Institutions adopting a robust text message system report:
- More engagement.
- Increased enrollment yield.
- Higher retention rates.
- Better student satisfaction.
Enterprise-grade solutions like TrueDialog make the process easy with features like:
- Dedicated numbers for every rep.
- Free multi-channel campus alerts.
- Deep CRM integrations (Salesforce, Marketo, Microsoft Dynamics, and more).
How Bryant & Stratton Unified SMS Communication
See why Bryant & Stratton replaced a disjointed patchwork of multiple SMS vendors for a holistic, unified, campus-wide solution beloved by all
See TrueDialog in Action
Discover how our SMS platform unifies campus communications and drives student engagement.
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