Instagram adds student badges as social apps chase campus connections

Timed with back-to-school season, Instagram has launched a new feature just for students. 

The social media platform announced “Schools” on Tuesday, August 26. Students should now see an option to “Add your school” directly on their profile if they so wish. After verifying their enrollment through the student verification platform UniDays, they will then have the option to add their school or college name as a badge on their profile. 

Students can choose whether the badge is visible to their fellow schoolmates or all followers, or opt out of the feature altogether. Once confirmed, they can browse a directory of their fellow students, filtered by year, or browse the entire student body. 

As Instagram noted, the verification process is necessary to maintain a safe environment for active students to connect with other active students.

“At UniDays, we’re committed to creating safer, more rewarding digital experiences for the next generation. We do this by making verification and digital identity a foundation, not a barrier, for young people,” UniDays CEO Jon Hawley said in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with Instagram to champion digital trust and online safety. This new feature, underpinned by our world-leading verification technology, enables students to build more authentic, meaningful, and secure connections online.”

The launch comes a week after TikTok rolled out a ​​​​feature, also with UniDays, called Campus Verification. This lets users add their school to their profile and connect with other students on campus. Sound familiar?

It also comes over a decade after Facebook launched as an online directory for Harvard students to connect with one another. As journalist Taylor Lorenz wrote on X: “Get in, folks; we’re doing 2005 Facebook again.”

Instagram was spotted developing the college-based feature last year. It comes at a time when young people are prioritizing IRL experiences amid “app fatigue” and reports of loneliness. Social media platforms have taken note and are rolling out a wave of new features to attempt to facilitate connection. 

Through Schools, Instagram aims to make it easier for students to connect and build community at this formative time in their lives—whether that’s seeking out a study buddy, linking up with new friends, or stalking a crush you crossed paths with in the hall.