Beyond the Classroom: Driving Engagement and Enrollment with SMS for Educational Institutions

Most kids are in school from ages 4-18, and the majority of them (62 percent) will go on to enroll in some form of higher education. Meanwhile, the average age at which kids receive their first cell phone is about 12 years old, and almost every single 11-17-year-old (97 percent) uses that phone in school. 

Why is that information valuable? Because it presents an opportunity for schools and institutions to better connect with their student body—and that’s not the only benefit of SMS for education.

Below, we illustrate how educational institutions, such as universities and trade schools, are using SMS to improve communication with both prospective and current students, campus staff, and other necessary stakeholders.

Why SMS for Education?

Put simply, utilizing a higher education messaging platform streamlines communication so institutions can reach and engage stakeholders (e.g., students, applicants, parents, administrators, professors, trustees, and alumni). A few prominent examples of use cases for business texting within the educational sector include:

• Sending reminders 
• Announcing events
• Gathering feedback
• Providing progress updates
• Delivering breaking news
• Completing verifications

High Student Engagement

For one, implementing the right SMS software makes for easy personalization of texts, which facilitates higher engagement from readers than generic messages. Through in-depth data analysis, SMS platforms such as TextUs track audience preferences and behaviors so you can tailor messaging to specific segments, increasing the chances of a response. This effort improves relationships with students and prospects by offering a personalized solution at the precise time the need arises. 

For NorthWest Arkansas Community College, switching to a more efficient and user-friendly texting platform was a no-brainer. The institution used TextUs to reach out to students in the way they prefer to be reached: through text. This upgrade resulted not only in students being more responsive to messages (and thus higher enrollment), but it also increased visibility on the emails readers were nudged to pay attention to via text. 

Quick Response Times

Getting more responses is great, but the instant delivery supported by SMS campaigns (plus recipients’ tendency to open texts as soon as they’re received) also encourages quicker responses. Students, like many other smartphone users, check their phones constantly. Institutions can leverage this tendency to get prompt and actionable feedback on programs and initiatives through surveys and questionnaires. Plus, students have their phones with them virtually 24/7, making it easier to reach them at the ideal moment.

By using SMS to successfully reengage its audience, administrators at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Lee Business School saw faster engagement from prospective students with TextUs, even noting a substantial increase in responses via emails and phone calls. 

Emergency Preparedness

The above reasons also make text messaging an effective way to ensure emergency notifications and other time-sensitive announcements are delivered immediately and, more importantly, seen as soon as possible. With features such as mass and bulk texting, organizations can broadcast essential information to students, staff, personnel, and parents. 

Having a mass text alert system ensures the real-time speed and mobile-first design necessary for reliable emergency communication in the event of:

• Severe weather
• Natural disasters
• Lockdowns or active threats
• Public health crises
• Emergency closures

Operational Effectiveness

Beyond responsiveness, using SMS for educational institutions offers the benefit of streamlined administrative tasks. Through text messaging, administrators can instantly connect students and other stakeholders with the resources they need. Shortened URLs offer easy access to student portals and registration links, while features such as rich media support mean SMS can be used to share and verify documents.

Additionally, text messaging platforms such as TextUs are designed for user-friendliness, making them easy to learn how to use and quick to implement for your teams. This streamlined onboarding not only contributes to higher ROI but also more engaged, more satisfied staff members.

Getting Started with SMS for Your Educational Institution

It’s plain to see: Texting has numerous applications in a variety of educational settings, from K-12 to higher education. Implementing SMS is an affordable and practical communication solution proven to improve relationships with stakeholders while boosting operational efficiency (not to mention enhancing safety). 

For a more detailed look at the latest SMS engagement trends for 2025, join the waitlist for the SMS Engagement Report 2025: Data-Driven Insights to Take on Business Texting.