Ever missed an important campus update because you didn’t check your phone in time? Or have students told you they didn’t see an urgent message? In today’s fast-paced world, keeping everyone on the same page is more crucial than ever. The old ways, like emails and bulletin boards, just don’t work like they used to. People spend more time on their phones, and texting has become the go-to communication channel. With an open rate of 98%, texting is hands-down the most reliable way to stay connected.

That’s where texting software comes to the rescue – a fast, reliable way to instantly reach students, faculty, and staff. Whether it’s sending deadline reminders, emergency alerts, or offering quick student support, texting can completely transform how your university communicates. But with so many options out there, how do you choose the right one? We will discuss the top 10 higher education texting platforms in this article.

A higher education texting platform or a texting service for universities is one that allows educational institutions to engage in text message communication with its students, parents, and staff. It is used for both external and internal communication. The purpose of the higher education texting platform is to ensure that messages reach timely to the intended party. Text messaging has high open rates of up to 90%, ensuring that customer engagement remains high as well.

Texting software offers a wide range of benefits that can improve how universities communicate with students, faculty, and staff. Let’s explore some of the key advantages and see how they make life on campus easier and more efficient.

Keeping students engaged is a top priority, and texting helps you do just that. With real-time updates on assignments, deadlines, and events, students stay informed and on track. Whether it’s a reminder about an upcoming test or a campus event, texting makes sure no one misses important details.

Texting software streamlines communication for university administrators. Need to send out announcements, schedule changes, or reminders? Texting is fast, easy, and ensures that information reaches everyone immediately. No more waiting for emails to be read as text messages are seen almost instantly.

In case of emergencies or severe weather conditions, quick communication is critical. Texting software allows you to send instant notifications to the entire campus community, helping keep students and staff safe during urgent situations. One message, and everyone knows what’s happening.

Texting isn’t just for current students—it’s also a powerful tool for admissions. Universities can send SMS updates to potential students, follow-ups on applications, or reminders about deadlines. This keeps the admissions process smooth and ensures prospective students stay engaged.

Texting allows for direct, personalized communication with students. Whether they need help with academic assistance, counselling, or have general questions, a quick text exchange can offer support in real-time. It makes students feel connected and supported, especially when they need it most.

Universities host numerous events—lectures, workshops, and extracurriculars. Texting software makes it easy to send out reminders for events and even collect RSVPs. This ensures higher attendance and helps students manage their schedules without missing out.

Texting can also enhance faculty-student communication. Professors can send reminders about class schedules, office hours, or upcoming assignments directly to students. It’s a simple way to keep students engaged in their coursework and help them stay organized.

Texting software is an efficient way to send important updates related to financial aid, scholarship deadlines, or billing reminders. It ensures that students never miss key information that could affect their finances or enrollment status.

Gathering student feedback is vital for improving campus life. Texting software allows universities to send quick surveys or polls, making it easier for students to provide feedback on their experiences. This real-time feedback helps universities make informed decisions that benefit everyone.

Choosing the right texting software for your university is crucial for streamlining communication and improving efficiency. Here are the key features to consider when selecting the best tool for your campus:

A good texting platform should allow you to send bulk messages quickly and easily. Whether you’re reaching out to the entire student body, a specific department, or faculty members, mass messaging ensures that important updates, announcements, or reminders reach everyone at once.

Texting isn’t just about sending messages—it’s about initiating a conversation. Look for software that enables two-way communication, allowing students and faculty to reply and engage in personalized, real-time interactions. This is great for answering student queries, providing support, or offering guidance on the spot.

A top texting platform should allow you to schedule messages in advance. Whether it’s sending reminders about deadlines, upcoming events, or automated follow-ups, scheduling helps ensure that important messages go out on time without manual intervention. Automation also saves time and keeps communication consistent.

To gauge how effective your messaging is, look for software that offers analytics and reporting. This feature allows you to track metrics like open rates, response rates, and overall engagement, helping you understand how well your communications are performing and make data-driven improvements.

The best texting software will seamlessly integrate with your university’s existing platforms, such as CRM systems, Learning Management Systems (LMS), or student portals. Integration simplifies workflow, ensuring that all communication and student data sync across platforms for smooth, consistent operations.

When dealing with student information, privacy is a top priority. Make sure the texting software complies with regulations like FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), ensuring that all student data remains protected and that you adhere to privacy laws.

Universities are often home to diverse student populations, including international students. Multilingual support ensures that your messages are accessible to everyone, regardless of their native language. This feature promotes inclusivity and makes communication more effective across a diverse campus.

Let’s dive into the top 10 education texting software that can keep your campus connected and in sync.

  1. Emitrr
  2. Twilio
  3. EZ Texting
  4. Text-Em-All
  5. SimpleTexting
  6. SlickText
  7. Podium
  8. MessageDesk
  9. ClickSend
  10. Textedly

Here’s a detailed  overview of all the texting softwares for you to make the best choice – 

Emitrr is one of the best higher education texting software that offers a variety of features such as sending personalized messages, bulk/mass texting, reminders, confirmations, online scheduling, missed call-to-text, group texting and more. Along with a vast range of features, Emitrr also offers the most efficient support channels for better user engagement. Emitrr’s features ensure customer satisfaction and a high level of customer engagement which is vital for businesses. 

  • Two-Way Texting: Communicate efficiently with two-way texting.
  • SMS Broadcast: Send broadcast SMS to a list of contacts.
  • Group Texting: Improve teamwork with group texting.
  • Text Alerts: Get instant alerts for urgent situations.
  • Mass Texting: Easily send mass texts for outreach.
  • Customer Surveys: Send online surveys to gather feedback.
  • Automated Review Requests: Automatically request reviews from patients.
  • CRM Integration: Easily integrate your existing CRM system.
  • Unified Review Inbox: Read all review responses in one place.
  • Automated Reminders: Send automated text reminders to customers.
  • Payment Follow-Up: Automate payment and cancellation follow-ups.
  • Track Metrics: Monitor missed calls, open rates, and more.
  • Editable SMS Templates: Personalize messages with customizable templates.
  • API and Activity Tracking: Analyze and scale with API and tracking.
  • Landline Texting and 10 DLC: Text-enable your landline with 10DLC support.
  • Live Chat: Offer immediate customer support with live chat.
  • Exceptional has customer support with stellar ratings across all platforms.
  • Emitrr’s dashboard is simple to set up and navigate.
  • Emitrr has numerous valuable features such as reputation management, VoIP, mass texting, conversation management, etc.
  • The interface is quite user-friendly and requires a very small learning curve.
  • Emitrr is budget-friendly and offers adaptable pricing.
  • Emitrr offers effortless and native integrations with over 1000+ CRMs
  • Emitrr is highly customizable according to the customer’s needs.
  • More features are in the pipeline and will be launched soon
  • Zapier 
  • Hubspot
  • Mailchimp 
  • HousecallPro
  • Slack
  • Freshdesk
  • Salesforce
  • Chrome extension
  • Instagram Business
  • Facebook Messenger
  • Zendesk Support
  • Dolphin
  • Dentrix
  • and more.
  • It starts at $30 per month
  • Capterra: 4.8/5
  • G2: 4.7/5

Emitrr customer service is unmatched! I don’t need help often but when I do, it is handled quickly. The system is very user friendly.

Overall very positive. The service works like I need it to, the customer service is amazing, up-time is great, and changes made seem to be well thought out and well, not just changes for change sake.Capterra

Capterra
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Twilio is a leading cloud communications platform that enables businesses to connect with customers through efficient texting solutions. With its robust APIs, Twilio allows seamless integration of SMS messaging into applications. This enhances customer engagement and satisfaction.

  • SMS and MMS Messaging: Send and receive text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages globally
  • Programmable Messaging API: Customize and automate messaging workflows using a flexible API for SMS, MMS, and chat messaging.
  • Two-Way Messaging: Enable seamless conversations by supporting both inbound and outbound messaging in a single thread.
  • Templates and Personalization: Craft dynamic, tailored messages using pre-defined templates and personalization features.
  • flexible and customizable 
  • No-code features and integration with Zapier 
  • A lot more effort to set up than any of the other apps on this list 
  • Only a backend 
  • Text messages start at $0.0079/message sent and received—although there’s an additional carrier fee of around $0.003/text on messages you send. Dedicated phone numbers start at $1.15/month.
  • Salesforce Service Cloud
  • Zoho CRM
  • Oracle Service
  • Freshdesk
  • SugarCRM
  • Zendesk Suite
  • Capterra: 4.4/5 
  • G2: 4.2/5 

good platform for mass SMS blasts to reach a wide audience

 I use it because it is the resource that several other services I need uses to integrate messaging services. If there was a better option I’d probably go with that.Capterra

Capterra

EZTexting is an easy-to-use SMS marketing platform that helps businesses connect with customers through text messaging. It allows users to send bulk messages, manage contacts, and track results efficiently. With EZTexting, enhancing communication is straightforward and effective.

  • Bulk texting: Create targeted contact lists and send out SMS for marketing purposes.
  • Two-way texting: Send one-on-one text messages to your customers in real-time. Interact with customers who respond to your bulk message in separate message threads.
  • Custom keywords: Create unlimited SMS keywords for different types of campaigns.
  • Contact management: Send targeted messages to customers by segmenting them into groups and lists.
  • Analytics and reporting: Check detailed metrics, such as click rate, delivery rate, etc., and see how your bulk SMS campaigns are performing.
  • Ease of use
  • Streamlined process for reaching target audience.
  • User-Friendly Interface
  • Poor Customer Support
  • Problems with sending messages reliably
  • Insufficient range of available Functions
  • Failure of message delivery
  • Mailchimp
  • HubSpot Marketing Hub
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Zapier
  • Squarespace
  • It starts at $862.35* month
  • Capterra: 4.8/5
  • G2: 4.7/5

7-8 days over the past year, I have encountered issues with reports and data not reflecting uploads and transactions

EZ Texting is simple to send out mass texts to many people. It is fast and convenient to use.Capterra

Capterra

Text-Em-All is a straightforward messaging platform that enables businesses and organizations to send mass text messages quickly and easily. It helps enhance communication with customers, employees, or members through effective text messaging. With Text-Em-All, staying connected is simple and efficient.

  • Text blast: This feature lets you send mass text messages to your contact list. 
  • MMS messaging: Send multimedia files to your customers using the MMS texting option.
  • Flexible inbox: Share your inbox with your team and make it easy for them to collaborate on message threads.
  • SMS and voice broadcast: Send both voice and SMS broadcasts simultaneously.
  • SMS Personalization: Add personalized properties in your text messages like first name, last name, location, etc.
  • SMS Surveys: Collect feedback and gain insight from your customers through SMS surveys.
  • Text signatures: Create a text message signature and enable it automatically to any text message. This signature will be automatically appended at the end of your message.
  • SMS templates: Add previously created text messages to your text broadcast or create new templates for future use.
  • User-friendly Software
  • Flexibility and Unlimited Calls

Text-Em-All Cons

  • Typing Delay in Messages
  • Confusing Updates
  • Exchange Rate Issues
  • Complicated Initial Set up
  • Okta
  • Greenhouse
  • Bullhorn ATS & CRM
  • IconCMO
  • ChMS
  • Avionté
  • Not available
  • Capterra: 4.7/5
  • G2: 4.8/5

It made communication easier and more efficient during the pandemic. It is a real time and energy (stress) saver.

When importing lists, if the setup wasn’t the exact same, it wouldn’t take import. So, unless you had a working knowledge of Excel, it could become a difficult task, simply importing data.

Capterra

SimpleTexting is a user-friendly SMS marketing platform that allows businesses to communicate effectively with their customers through text messages. It offers a range of tools for sending bulk messages, managing contacts, and tracking engagement. SimpleTexting makes it easy to enhance customer communication and drive engagement.

  • Integrations: Connect SimpleTextingwith third-party apps and streamline your workflows.
  • MMS messaging: Send multimedia messages that include images, videos, etc to your contacts in just a few clicks. 
  • Bulk messaging: Send out messages to thousands of contacts at once. 
  • Scheduled messages: Schedule text messages for your customers for a later time and date.
  • Two-way texting: Engage in one-on-one conversations with users directly from the SimpleTexting platform.
  • Text-to-Join keywords: Set up custom keywords that users can text to a number to subscribe to messages.
  • User-friendly interface
  • Ample integrations
  • Bad User Experience
  • Expensive product 
  • No group texting feature
  • Mailchimp
  • Trainual
  • Unbounce
  • Zapier
  • Ontraport
  • Starts at $29 per month for 500 messages
  • Capterra: 4.7/5
  • G2: 4.7/5

I was disappointed with Customer Service and the way they charge their customers. Like the service was disappointed with the charges and the customer service.

Easy to setup and use. The data tracking is better than our previous texting application. Being able to resend people a text who clicked on our link had been very beneficial. I strongly recommend SimpleText.

Capterra

SlickText is a messaging app that helps facilitate business-to-customer communication. It is a higher education texting platform that offers universities solutions to communicate effectively with their students and staff. Mass texting and group texting are popular texting features in the SlickText platform.

  • MMS messaging: Attach images to your messages to boost your engagement rate with your customers.
  • Mass text messaging: Send mass text messages to multiple recipients at once. Personalize messages at scale.
  • Detailed analytics: Gain detailed insights into your text marketing efforts right from click rates and opt-in stats to response data and abandoned cart revenue.
  • SMS Surveys: Engage with your contacts by sending them SMS surveys. Choose from a range of templates available.
  • Contact segmentation: Segment contacts based on data like area code, city, date subscribed, custom fields, and more.
  • Keywords: Allow people to join your SMS list by sending a keyword set by you.

SlickText Pros

  • Ease of use
  • Robust Customer Support

SlickText Cons

  • Lack of Integration
  • Manual Contact Addition
  • Inability to Use Custom Forms
  • Lack of Automation

SlickText Integrations

  • Slack
  • Mailchimp
  • Shopify
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Zapier
  • Constant Contact
  • It starts at $ 29 Per month, usage-based
  • Capterra: 4.8/5
  • G2: 4.8/5

The set up process was easy, and using the platform is a breeze.

Terrible. Stay away! There are far better services you can use!Capterra

Capterra

Podium is a mass texting platform that uses text messaging to help businesses attract more leads, convert leads at a higher rate, and retain more customers. It is a tool that can be used as a higher education texting platform by allowing universities to send messages to their students and staff. Podium users can send group text messages through its text marketing feature. 

  • Reviews and reputation management: Send review requests via SMS and so that businesses can collect reviews from platforms like Google and Facebook. 
  • SMS Surveys: Send out SMS surveys by sending survey forms or links and gather customer feedback effectively. 
  • Unified Inbox: Manage all conversations from a unified inbox.
  • SMS marketing: Use SMS to communicate with your customers or to send out SMS marketing messages. 
  • SMS Marketing: Utilize SMS to run targeted SMS marketing campaigns and follow up with customers with drip campaigns.
  • Integrations: Integrate with third-party apps to simplify and automate your business workflow.
  • Ease of Use
  • Ease of communication 
  • Automation 
  • Setup Delay
  • High Cost
  • Lacking attributes
  • Poor customer service
  • Mailchimp
  • Shopify
  • Calendly
  • QuickBooks Online
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Housecall Pro
  • It starts at $399 Per month
  • Capterra: 4.3/5
  • G2: 4.5/5

“The product is easy to use and the UX is top notch. While I wish there was a few more customizable options from team management it is easy to use even for people who aren’t tech savvy”

We previously used Podium and we switched to a less expensive option. Well, you get what you pay for. Podium is a far better product. Reviews increase, we get paid faster using card readers or text to pay. Excellent customer service!Capterra

Capterra

MessageDesk

MessageDesk is a texting tool that can serve higher education institutes. MessageDesk serves tradespeople like plumbers, contractors, maid services, and landscapers, as well as professionals like lawyers, attorneys, and CPAs, and nonprofits, churches, and other organizations. Their mass texting service allows users to unify text conversations, connect teams, reach more people, and broadcast at scale, along with sending broadcast text or group texts to the entire customer list for text message marketing campaigns, special offers, updates, alerts, etc. 

  • Shared SMS inbox: Unify all team communications in one single inbox, making collaboration easier and more efficient. 
  • Text enable existing number: Get your existing business number text enabled to enjoy both calling and texting.  
  • Third-party integration: Integrate MessageDesk with your existing CRM for easy data access. Never switch context again.
  • Broadcast texting: Send broadcast text messages to your customers and personalize each message with interesting properties. 
  • Automated texting: Automate customer outreach for effective communication, and send customized SMS notifications and confirmations.   
  • Ease of use 
  • User-Friendly
  • High Cost
  • Complex Automation
  • Difficult Contact Management
  • Deletion Difficulties
  • Zapier
  • QuickBooks Online
  • It starts at $109 per month
  • Capterra: 4.8/5
  • G2: 4.7/5

The benefits it has is that it separates messages for you.

The only thing I disliked is that I wish it had integration with sales platforms (HubSpot, SalesForce, etc.) for sales related usage in my industry.Capterra

Capterra

ClickSend is a popular communication platform that allows businesses to send and receive emails., SMS, MMS, Voice, Direct Mail, and more. With ClickSend you can send high-volume text messages fast. 

  • Bulk Texting: This feature allows to send bulk text messages to ones entire contact list.  
  • Personalization: This feature uses personalization tokes such as first name, last name, etc to make the message personalized for each recipient.  
  • Text Message Scheduling: With this feature, you can schedule bulk messages for later by setting the date and time of the message delivery.
  • MMS Texting: This feature allows you to send MMS messages. 
  • Contact Management: You will be able to manage contacts through conversation assignments, filters, etc. 

ClickSend Pros 

  • Easy-to-use interface 
  • Easy to set up 
  • Poor Customer Service 
  • Slow interface 
  • It is more expensive than other softwares 
  • Slow and reports many bugs 
  • Zoho CRM 
  • FreshBooks 
  • Zapier 
  • FreshDesk 
  • ZenDesk 
  • Starts at $128.55 / month
  • Capterra: 3.9/5 
  • G2: 4.1/5

“Overall, it works great – WHEN IT WORKS. It allows people to respond to messages. But we are disappointed right now because no one will return our request for help, or even send a list of things to look at. This stopped working during a critical time in communication with our staff, and left us scrambling for a different way to reach out to them. We’ve not been able to use this for 4 weeks (or so) now, and our funds are stuck there with no response.” (Capterra

“ They made me jump through hoops to send out an SMS campaign. They asked for a picture of my credit card, then a picture of me holding the credit card. They requested the web address, and main email of our business. They requested I send an email from the main address to them proving I worked where I said I did and was authorized to send SMS messages for the company. They requested the opt-in letter authorizing SMS messages to be sent. I PROVIDED ALL OF THESE DOCUMENTS AND THEN DIDN’T HEAR ANYTHING AFTER MULTIPLE EMAILS TO FOLLOW UP. THEY FINALLY ISSUED A REFUND WITHOUT EXPLANATION AT ALL. I have no idea why I wasn’t able to send the SMS campaign after jumping through hoops verifying all info they asked for. A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME!” (CapterraCapterra

Capterra

Textedly is one of the popular apps for higher education texting. Textedly is a good option for growing businesses, with its varied pricing plan. As your business expands, you can move on to higher plans that suit your needs. It is seen as one of the most affordable options for growing businesses. 

  • Mass texting: Send text messages to thousands of contacts at once and save hours worth of daily time.   
  • Text message scheduling: Schedule text messages for a later date to keep your calendar full
  • Reviews and reputation management: Easily collect customer feedback and manage your online reputation. 
  • Text message marketing: Send mass marketing messages to customers and follow up with drip campaigns. 
  • Ease of use 
  • Extensive Features
  • User-Friendly
  • Inadequate customer support
  • Hidden Charges
  • Delay in sending and receiving messages
  • Lacks intuitive user interface design.
  • Limited CRM integrations
  • Zapier
  • It starts at $24.95 per month (Basic)
  • Capterra: 4.6/5
  • G2: 4.6/5

The textedly web text message service is very awesome and it is above my overall expectations.

Good price for messages, but not good service for companies who sending SMS to new monthly, fresh and updated lists of customers.Capterra

Capterra

Rolling out new technology can be a challenge, but implementing texting software at your university can be smooth if you follow a few key steps. Here’s a simple roadmap to help you successfully introduce texting software across campus.

Start by identifying the specific use cases where texting will make the most impact. Are you looking to improve student engagement by sending assignment reminders? Do you need a system for emergency alerts or admissions updates? Understanding your university’s needs will help you choose the right features and set clear goals for the implementation.

Before going all-in, it’s smart to begin with a small-scale pilot. Choose one department—like admissions or student services—and test the software there. This allows you to see how it performs, identify any issues, and gather feedback from users before expanding campus-wide. A pilot test also helps you measure the initial impact and make necessary adjustments early on.

Even the best software won’t work if people don’t know how to use it. Organize workshops or training sessions for staff and faculty to get them familiar with the platform’s features. This ensures smooth adoption across departments and makes sure everyone understands how to effectively send messages and manage communication.

Once the texting software is up and running, keep an eye on its performance using analytics. Track key metrics like message open rates, response times, and overall engagement. Use this data to fine-tune your strategies—whether it’s adjusting the timing of messages, changing the tone, or experimenting with different communication methods. Continuous monitoring and tweaking will help you get the most out of the software.

While texting software can greatly enhance communication at universities, it’s not without its challenges. The good news? Most issues can be addressed with the right strategies. Let’s look at some common challenges and how you can overcome them.

One of the biggest risks of texting is overwhelming students with too many messages. If students start feeling bombarded, they may begin to ignore important updates. The solution? Limit the frequency of non-urgent texts. Prioritize messages based on importance and schedule them at optimal times. It’s all about finding the right balance between keeping students informed and avoiding message fatigue.

Texting involves handling personal information, so staying compliant with privacy regulations like FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) is critical. To avoid legal issues, ensure your texting software complies with these regulations. It’s also important to give students and faculty the option to opt out of messaging and to always get consent before sending messages. Regular audits of your system can help maintain compliance.

Integrating new texting software with existing university systems like CRM or Learning Management Systems (LMS) can sometimes be tricky. If the software doesn’t sync well, it can lead to disjointed communication. To overcome this, choose a platform that offers easy integration with your current systems. Work closely with your IT team to ensure everything runs smoothly and conduct thorough testing before full implementation.

Budget is always a concern, especially when implementing new technology. While texting software can be a powerful tool, it’s important to find an option that fits within your university’s financial plan. Consider solutions that offer flexible pricing models, like per-user or per-message options. Also, look for platforms that don’t compromise on essential features, so you get the best value for your investment.

As technology continues to advance, the way universities communicate is evolving too. Here are some key trends that will shape the future of texting software in higher education.

Artificial intelligence is making texting smarter. With AI, universities can send personalized messages based on student preferences and behaviors. For example, students can receive reminders about assignments or suggestions for resources tailored to their needs, making communication more relevant and engaging.

Chatbots are becoming essential for student support. These automated tools can answer common questions and assist with admissions inquiries any time of day. By providing quick responses, chatbots free up staff time and ensure students get the help they need without delays.

The future of communication lies in omni-channel strategies. This means integrating texting with email, social media, and university apps for a seamless experience. Students will receive important updates through their preferred channels, whether it’s a text about a class change or an email about events.

Using advanced analytics, universities can track how students engage with texts. This data helps identify trends and adjust communication strategies. For instance, if students respond well to messages about academic support, universities can focus more on those topics, ultimately driving student success.

What is the best texting software for small universities?

Emitrr is the best texting software for small universities due to its user-friendly features and scalability.

Is there an app just for texting?

Yes, apps like Emitrr are specifically designed for texting. You can send text messages to your students and staff using Emitrr texting app on desktop or even from your mobile phones.

Can I get SMS on my laptop?

Yes, you can receive SMS on your laptop using applications like Emitrr that sync with your mobile device as well.

Choosing the right texting software is crucial for universities looking to enhance communication and foster a better student experience. The right sms software can streamline updates, improve engagement, and ensure safety on campus. It’s essential for universities to take the time to evaluate their specific needs, considering factors such as features, costs, and available support options.

Book a demo with Emitrr today and get all the help to make the right decision!

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