Want two big reasons why higher ed institutions should have an active presence on LinkedIn?

First, the platform has approximately 230 million users in the US. So, while it might be smaller than Instagram and TikTok, it’s still a big deal.

What’s more, one-quarter of all LinkedIn members are aged 18 – 24, so it’s a great place to reach your existing students (and even some younger users who’ve yet to choose their school). Plus you can use it to engage recent graduates, with half of users aged 25 – 34.

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Convinced about the platform’s marketing potential? Then read on for 10 inspirational examples of higher ed institutions on LinkedIn.

1. University of South Carolina

The Columbia-based University of South Carolina does a fantastic job promoting the school’s branding on LinkedIn.

For example, check out these images from their 2025 Valentine’s Day campaign, starring Cocky, the institution’s much-loved mascot:

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Posts like this might not instantly persuade a would-be student to choose the University of South Carolina over a rival institution. However, they help build a sense of community around the school and aid brand recall, which can make a big difference when picking a school.

Any content involving the school’s mascot and branding can also promote nostalgic feelings in graduates, potentially encouraging them to donate.

This is reinforced in the above post, which references university legends and landmarks like Dawn Staley, head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, and Williams-Brice Stadium (AKA Willy B).

2. Colorado State University

Colorado State is another university that understands the power of nostalgia for winning over alumni.

They share some fascinating archive content, like this roundup of photographs spanning seven decades of CSU history:

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This post has obvious appeal to any alum with fond memories of biking around Colorado State in the 1980s or studying in the sunshine in 1977.

But, judging from its 1,700+ likes, it also resonates with a broader audience.

Best of all, it’s such an easy win – all you need is access to a bunch of old images and an excuse to share them (like an anniversary or a relevant awareness day).

3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Sticking with the historic theme, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign regularly celebrates the lives and careers of notable alumni.

For example, they told the story of Maudelle Tanner Brown Bousfield, the first African-American woman to enroll at the University of Illinois.

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They also celebrated the achievements of St Elmo Brady, the first African-American to receive a PhD in chemistry:

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As you can see, these types of posts regularly receive hundreds of likes and dozens of reposts, making them a fantastic tool for engagement.

More importantly, they demonstrate the school’s proud heritage and legacy, strengthening its brand and making it feel more authoritative and trustworthy.

4. Oklahoma State University

So far, we’ve focused on the organic side of LinkedIn, but the platform also has plenty to offer advertisers.

Oklahoma State is clearly aware of the potential of LinkedIn ads. They regularly run ads targeting prospective students, such as this one highlighting the school’s support for remote learners:

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Now, advertising on LinkedIn isn’t cheap. The average cost per click is $5.58, over three times higher than the price of clicks on Facebook ads.

But it could still be money well spent. Because LinkedIn is a professional social network, people rarely browse it “for fun” (unlike Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or pretty much every other social platform we can think of), so they’re more likely to pay attention to “serious” ads.

Especially if those ads are related to LinkedIn-friendly topics like career development and lifelong learning.

👉 Learn more: A Beginner’s Guide to LinkedIn Ads

5. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green State University is another institution that’s woken up to the potential of advertising on LinkedIn.

But rather than using LinkedIn ads to target prospective students, they’re chasing a different demographic – potential donors to the school’s scholarship program:

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This is a smart play because LinkedIn members tend to be wealthier than users of other social platforms. Indeed, 53% of members in the US have a high monthly household income, while 27% of members in high-income households use LinkedIn regularly.

6. Michigan State University

Video content isn’t just for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube – it also plays a big role on LinkedIn.

Michigan State University uses this to its advantage. The school regularly posts videos on LinkedIn, like this clip of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr speaking at the MSU Auditorium.

They also posted this impressive fly-through of the university’s new 34,000-square-foot Multicultural Center:

Maybe it’s just us, but we found the second video weirdly satisfying and hypnotic, which made me want to keep watching.

That’s a good thing for MSU because when lots of people stick around to watch your videos, the LinkedIn algorithm is more likely to serve it to other users.

7. James Madison University

Some schools photograph better than others.

James Madison University definitely falls into the category of “photogenic higher ed institutions,” thanks in no small part to the stunning backdrop of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountain ranges.

This means that pretty much any content showcasing the school’s surrounding areas will do numbers. Like this stunning winter sunset, which had clocked up 4,500+ likes and almost 200 reposts at the time of writing:

Of course, LinkedIn isn’t Instagram, so you don’t want to overdo it with this sort of content.

At the same time, it’s an easy win for engagement, so there’s no harm in sharing one or two of your best beauty shots a month.

8. University of Connecticut

With over a quarter of a million followers, the University of Connecticut is doing a lot of things right on LinkedIn. But we’ll focus on how they use an underutilized feature—newsletters—to keep their audience engaged.

Their newsletter, This Week at UConn, launched in early 2025 and notched up nearly 35,000 subscribers within its first month.

UConn uses the newsletter to share inspirational stories from around the school. For instance, the below edition focuses on the career of school alum Carl Johnson, a horticulturist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC:

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The best part of this tactic is that whenever UConn publishes a newsletter, subscribers are automatically notified in their news feed, through the LinkedIn app, and/or by email.

This means they’re less reliant on the platform’s algorithm to reach their audience.

9. Carson-Newman University

LinkedIn is a professional social network. But that doesn’t mean you have to sap all the personality from your posts.

Carson-Newman isn’t afraid to have a little fun on LinkedIn. They regularly share captions that communicate the school’s key messaging while adopting a more lighthearted tone of voice than most brands and institutions on the platform.

For example, they coined WWE superstar The Rock’s iconic catchphrase in this post.

They did their best Buddy the Elf impression in this one:

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It’s a far cry from the corporate content that can sometimes crowd our LinkedIn news feed, giving Carson-Newman a point of difference that helps them cut through the noise.

10. Ohio University

User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool in building your school’s brand and credibility. Indeed, four-fifths of consumers say they trust user-generated video more than professionally created brand content or influencer marketing.

Ohio University understands this.

They’ve built their own student ambassador program to showcase the school’s campus and demonstrate what it means to be a Bobcat. And they attract new members by promoting the program through LinkedIn:

This tactic makes a lot of sense. After all, one of the most common reasons for using LinkedIn is to find career progression opportunities, and becoming an ambassador could help existing students build up their resumes.

👉 Learn more: 10 Great Examples of User-Generated Content in Higher Education and 10 Examples of Higher Ed Institutions Leveraging Student Content Creators

Want to learn how top higher ed marketers leverage LinkedIn to hit their marketing goals? Register for one of our upcoming social media conferences.

Featured image by Pexels.

 

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