Texting College Students Made Easy: Top Campus Messaging Tactics

Texting college students has become the fastest and most effective way for universities to connect with the campus community. For universities, SMS drives stronger engagement than emails or phone calls. 

Typical campaign conversion rates range from 21% to 32%. Besides, students have consistently reported that they prefer receiving reminders and alerts by text rather than through other channels.

This guide covers why texting college students works, the rules to follow, how to set it up, and real examples of it in action.

Why universities should start texting college students

Some institutions hesitate to adopt SMS because they already send emails or post announcements online or on their student dashboard. 

But texting offers advantages that other channels simply can’t match.

• Texts are immediate 

Students are constantly on the go, and SMS meets them where they are. Text messages land instantly and are typically read within minutes—no more relying on inbox checks. 

The impact is clear: when the University of Texas at Austin introduced a comprehensive texting strategy, engagement among targeted students jumped to 98%. 

• Texts reach everyone 

Whether students live on or off campus, SMS reaches anyone with a mobile phone – no app downloads or logins required. 

• Texts get engagement 

Students actually read what you send, whether it’s a deadline alert or an invitation to an event. 

Texts, by nature, are more personal. According to University Business, nearly two-thirds of incoming college students and their parents say receiving key dates and information by text is helpful. 

Read Also:6 Things You’re Missing Without an SMS Alert System For Schools

Step-by-step guide to setting up texting for college students

Texting isn’t a single tactic; different goals need different messaging tools. Here’s how colleges can launch an effective student texting program with CallHub

Step 1 – Pick your goal 

Every campaign performs better when it has one clear outcome: 

• Increase applications submitted
• Reduce no-show advising appointments
• Boost event attendance 
• Help students complete financial aid 
• Improve retention & campus participation 

Step 2 – Choose the right texting channel

CallHub gives you four flexible SMS tools based on what you’re trying to achieve: 

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Texting – 1:1 Conversations  

Peer-to-peer texting lets your staff and student workers text students individually at scale with real human replies from a shared inbox. 

Best for high-touch support

• Admissions follow-ups
• FAFSA questions/help
• Academic advising nudges
• Student success check-ins

Read Also: What is Peer-to-Peer Texting? Complete 2025 Guide

Text Broadcast – Instant Alerts 

Text Broadcast lets you send a single message to thousands instantly, making it perfect for deadlines and announcements. 

Best for high-reach announcements

• Payment deadlines
• Class registration windows
• Event attendance boosts
• Emergency notifications (weather or safety alerts)
• Housing or tuition deadlines 

Bonus: Track link clicks + RSVPs with “Reply 1 to confirm”

Read Also: Here is How to send automated texts in 2025

Text-to-Join – Grow Your Lists 

Text-to-join builds your texting list through keywords students text in—clean, compliant opt-ins. 

Best for onboarding + outreach moments

• Orientation signups/launches
• Campus fairs
• Athletics or club interest
• Parent opt-ins

You can set this up on either: 

1. Dedicated short code: Ideal for high-volume university campaigns with heavy promotion. 
2. 10DLC number: Best for verified campaigns. 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) numbers are registered with U.S. carriers, allowing organizations to send higher volumes of messages per minute while maintaining trust, compliance, and deliverability.

RCS messaging – rich, tap-friendly engagement

RCS helps you deliver interactive, branded messages with buttons, images, and maps – all inside your native messaging app. 

Best for  guided student actions: 

• Orientation schedules and campus navigation 
• Financial aid checklist updates 
• Career fairs + easy RSVP 
• Enrollment pathways with quick replies. 

Together, these three channels let you tailor communication to the moment—from mass alerts to personal conversations to interactive action flows. 

Step 3 — Segment your audience for relevance

Don’t blast everyone with the same message. Instead, use list segmentation to group students based on shared traits or behaviors. This helps you send only what’s relevant—boosting engagement and trust.

Segment by: 

• Class year – first year, transfer, graduate.
• Program/major 
• Housing type – on campus/off campus. 
• Event RSVP status 
• Parent vs. student 
• FAFSA status / at-risk indicators
• At-risk tags (e.g., Missing FAFSA)

Step 4 –  Personalize with merge tags for higher reply rates  

Students ignore generic texts. CallHub’s merge tags make every message feel written for them:

“Hey {{first_name}}, your {{form_name}} is due on {{deadline_date}}. Need help?”

• Keep messages tight: 140 – 160 characters work best. 
• Add 1 clear CTA: “register now”, “reply YES to confirm”, “View schedule”. 

Step 5 — Send at the right moment

Students are most responsive when they’re awake + between classes:

Best sending time: 

Late mornings or early afternoons 

Avoid late nights to reduce unsubscribes. 

You can also schedule messages for upcoming deadlines & events so you never miss a key date.

Read Also: The Most Optimum Times to Send Nonprofit Text Blasts

Step 6 — Track replies and results

CallHub handles two-way messaging so teams can view and respond to student messages efficiently. 

• Saved replies for FAQs
• Conversation history for context
• Tagging (Interested/Not Interested)

Track what matters: 

• Response rate
• Click-throughs
  Conversions (RSVPs and applications).
  Opt-outs (is frequency or tone the issue?)

Use A/B tests to optimize: 

• Friendly vs. formal tone
• Morning vs. afternoon send 
• SMS vs MMS/RCS

Quick templates for texting college students

Admissions follow-up
“Hey (first_name), still interested in (program) at (university)? Reply YES if you’d like help completing your application.”

Deadline reminder
“FAFSA due (deadline_date)! Submit here: (link). Reply HELP if you need support.”

Text-to-Join example
“Text ORIENT to (short_code) for campus maps, schedules, and reminders. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Event promo (MMS optional)
“Career Fair tomorrow, 12–4 PM.  Drop in anytime at (location).”

Bottom line

Texting meets students where they are – on their phones.

With the right channel and clear calls to action, colleges get higher response rates, completed tasks, and real student support —fast.

How universities start texting college students effectively

Here are the most impactful ways universities can use SMS to communicate with students:

Appointment reminders

Students juggle classes, jobs, and campus life; it’s easy to forget advisor meetings or counseling sessions. Sending SMS reminders helps reduce no-shows and keeps students accountable.

Texting college students during recruitment

Admissions teams can follow up with prospective students via SMS after campus tours, inquiry form submissions, or application starts. Texts feel more personal than emails and get quicker responses.

Texting college students about deadlines

Whether it’s FAFSA, registration, or housing cutoffs, deadline reminders via SMS ensure students don’t miss critical dates.

Tuition and fee reminders

Instead of relying on email or phone calls, send polite SMS nudges to students and parents when payments are due. Texts are less intimidating and more likely to be opened.

Links to resources

SMS doesn’t have to be long. Send short messages with links to library updates, campus services, student portals, or event sign-up pages using shortened URLs.

For example, send them a link to the college library’s website with a list of newly added titles.

Events and extracurriculars

Promote clubs, sports, workshops, and campus activities through SMS to increase participation and build student engagement.

Helpful campus tips

New students appreciate quick tips about campus life, study resources, housing, or wellness reminders. These small touchpoints make them feel supported and connected.

Read Also: Student Messaging: Why You Must Adopt This Tech Now! 

Compliance checklist for texting college students

Texting students is legal only when consent is obtained. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) enforced by the FCC, institutions must:

• Receive written or digital opt-in consent
• Include opt-out instructions (e.g., “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”)
• Only send educational or service-related messages unless promotional consent is granted.

Read Also: Messaging Compliance: Prohibited Practices & How to Stay Safe

Sample SMS messages for admission

The great thing about sending students updates via SMS is that there isn’t much setup required. 

You need only your message, your contacts, and the help of a text messaging service to connect it all.

Here are some sample SMS messages universities can use:

Admission SMS

Tuition reminder SMS

Event follow-up

Event/Extracurricular notice

Texting college students using CallHub (it’s easy!)

Setting up and using a university SMS system is simple with CallHub. The first thing you need to do is get students to subscribe to your SMS system through an opt-in keyword:

1. Set up an opt-in keyword and shortcode

Choose the Text to join campaign on the CallHub dashboard.

To set a text alert system for universities, you need to have just two elements:

1) A keyword

2) A shortcode or long code (to act as Caller ID)

For example, ‘Text “JOIN” to 562498 for property updates and reminders.’

Here, the keyword is “JOIN,” and the number is “562498”.

You can set a keyword while setting up your university SMS system and rent a shortcode or long code from your text messaging service. If not, you can use a cell phone number as the caller ID.

Once you finish setting it up, promote your keyword and shortcode. When people text your keyword to the number, they will automatically be added to your database.

2. Let students know about your keyword and shortcode

Let students know about the SMS system by advertising it wherever you can:

• Ask students and parents to sign up for your text message communications at the beginning of the admissions process.
• Promote your shortcode and keyword on our college or university website.
• Send it out in your email communications with students.

Now you’re all set to start sending updates straight to students’ mobile phones.

3. Send your first message

You can send messages through the SMS broadcast campaign on the dashboard.

Type out the message you want to send, for example, alerting students about an event:

“Hey, Mark. The Tennis tournament starts in 2 hours! Come on down and cheer for your favorite players. See you there.”

Choose the list with the numbers of the students or parents to whom you want to send the message.

Now, we schedule a time for when you want the message to go out and hit DONE.

Sending out a group text to your students is as simple as that.

Ready to engage students faster?

SMS isn’t just a communication tool; it’s a student engagement strategy.

If emails are being ignored and attendance is dropping, it’s time to meet students where they actually are, on their phones. Start your university SMS campaign with CallHub today for simple setup and instant results.

FAQs on texting college students 

Tenzin Tsetan

A Tibetan content strategist specializing in helping organizations amplify their digital presence. Through in-house content creation, bridging traditional wisdom with modern storytelling to engage diverse global communities, with a focus on political organizations, nonprofits, and advocacy groups.