No longer the bright new thing of the social media world, TikTok is now firmly established as a key element in many higher ed institutions’ marketing toolkits.
Marketers love the short-form video platform because it generates far higher organic engagement than other platforms. That’s a huge advantage in higher education marketing, where budgets are often tight and must be split across various tools and channels.
According to RivalIQ, D1 schools on TikTok see a median engagement rate (by view) of 4.75%. In contrast, the median engagement rate on Instagram stands at 2.29%, while Facebook’s is just 0.24%.
Yet those top performers only post on TikTok once per week on average, compared to four times a week on Insta and 6.4 on Facebook. So TikTok is still a comparatively under-utilized resource.
Looking to add TikTok to your marketing mix or need some inspiration for your TikTok content strategy? Check out these 19 examples of TikTok content for higher education:
1. Harvard College
Let’s kick things off with Harvard College, which has the best reputation of any university on the planet, according to the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings.
Clearly, that’s not all down to its social media presence. But in an increasingly online world, its social activity plays an important role.
When it comes to TikTok, Harvard regularly posts videos of Rakesh Khurana, Danoff Dean of Harvard College, answering various questions about his life and work, like:
- How do you start your day?
- Do you prefer coffee or tea?
- What’s your favorite podcast?
@harvardcollege Questions with Dean Khurana: Part 1 ✨ #Harvard #HarvardCollege #HarvardYard #DeanKhurana #HarvardDean #DeansOfHarvard #QuestionsWithTheDean #fyp #StayTuned #WhosNext ♬ Sun Bed – David Staniforth
This tactic works for a couple of reasons:
- It showcases Harvard’s beautiful campus grounds.
- It helps people see a senior member of college leadership as a “real person.”
That second point is worth discussing in greater depth.
Giving leaders a voice on social media can help you build a community. According to Sprout Social, when CEOs are active on social, 70% of consumers feel more connected to the brand in question, with two-thirds of those saying it feels like real people run the organization.
2. Washington University In St Louis
In its early days, TikTok was known as the social media platform of choice for young people.
Teens loved it.
While TikTok’s audience has grown a little older as the platform has gained in popularity, it still skews a lot younger than any of the other big social networks, with two-thirds of 18 and 19-year-olds and 56% of 20 to 29-year-olds using it.
That’s a very different audience to Facebook, where four-fifths of users are aged 25+ and almost three-fifths are older than 35.
If you’re going to generate decent traction on TikTok, you need to share the type of content that’s popular with its audience rather than just posting the same stuff you’d use on other channels and hoping it works.
Washington University in St Louis understands this. It’s particularly adept at inserting the school into popular video trends (like dance crazes and viral meme formats):
@wustl_official Did you know about these WashU gems?🤌🤌 #washu #wustl #college #thingsthatjustmakesense ♬ Che La Luna – Louis Prima with Sam Butera & The Witnesses
It’s a simple way to educate followers about life on campus while also helping the school reach new audiences through the smart use of hashtags like #thingsthatjustmakesense, which has almost 600 million views at time of writing.
3. University of Kentucky
Sure, there’s something to be said about hopping on the latest TikTok trend. But at the same time, you definitely don’t want to post the same stuff as everyone else.
Aim to showcase what makes your school unique. Every school has something it does differently from other institutions. Some quirky tradition or unique event that you wouldn’t see anywhere else.
A great example of this is the University of Kentucky’s post about its annual Ping Pong Ball Drop:
@universityofky Did you catch a ball today Wildcats?🎉🏓 #uky ♬ Treasure (Sped Up Version) – Phoebe
That’s the sort of content that will help you stand out and build a community. Where else will you see students attempting to catch hundreds of ping pong balls dropped from the top of a campus tower block?
4. University of Southern California
One of the main barriers to leveraging TikTok for marketing is the need to create lots of video assets.
According to Wyzowl, 33% of marketers who don’t use video say they don’t have the time, while 20% say it’s too expensive.
We’re going to let you in on a secret: you don’t need to create a brand new video every time you post on TikTok.
If you’ve got high-quality evergreen assets, don’t be afraid to turn them into something new. It’ll save you a bunch of time and effort.
That’s what the University of Southern California did with this video featuring a 2018 commencement speech from Oprah Winfrey:
@uscedu When #Oprah says get a good mattress, you get a good mattress🫡🫶 #USCGrad #USC #FightOn #FindYourEdge #fyp ♬ Advice from Oprah for USC graduates – usc
At time of writing, it’s comfortably the school’s most popular post, with 51,000 plays and more than 4,000 likes.
If you’ve taken the time to create a fantastic piece of video content, why limit yourself to only posting it once?
5. Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University has almost 30,000 followers and 1.5+ million likes on TikTok, so it’s clearly doing something right.
Far and away its standout post is this one, featuring 2022 graduate LaDyra Lyte, whose military brother made a surprise visit to her commencement ceremony:
@cmuniversity 2022 graduate LaDyra Lyte was surprised by her brother’s homecoming at Saturday’s commencement ceremony. #graduation #militaryhomecoming #wholesome ♬ Lo – Official Sound Studio
With 1.3 million likes at time of writing, it was a genuine viral hit.
This shows the value of bringing a little positivity to social media, which neatly aligns with what TikTok audiences want to see from the platform.
In a study from Nielsen, TikTok users said one of their top reasons for using the platform is “to lift my spirits”. That wasn’t the case for any other social network. Moreover, nearly three-quarters of users who felt positive after using TikTok said the platform makes them feel “inspired, confident, and entertained.”
6. Baylor University
Nostalgia is a potent force on social media.
Psychologists have found that meaningful memories — like music associated with a happy experience or a beloved place from the past — can trigger the brain’s emotional and reward centers. It’s not hard to imagine why social media users would gravitate toward this sort of content, particularly in a world that can often seem pretty scary.
Importantly for higher ed marketers, younger audiences are more nostalgic than their older peers, with 15% of Gen Z and 14% of Millennials feeling that they’d prefer to think about the past rather than the future.
Baylor University leans into this trend with a TikTok video demonstrating how its mascot has changed down the years:
@bayloru It’s really not the same 🐻 @baylorspiritsquad #mascots #asitwas #lifeadvice ♬ original sound – ZAYN
This sort of campus nostalgia is a fantastic tool for engaging parents, alumni, and existing students.
7. University of Missouri
Remember, there’s a big wide world out there.
Your social media content should always have one eye on broader trends and events rather than focusing solely on stuff that’s going on at your school.
For instance, it often makes sense to join in the conversation during festivals and celebrations.
That’s what the University of Missouri did with this TikTok that leverages St Patrick’s Day:
@mizzou When will we see you on campus? ☘️#shamrock #stpatricksday #engineering #engineer #mizzou #college #collegelife #collegelifehacks #fyp #foryoupage #marry #fallinlove ♬ original sound – frankiesaudios
It helps that St Patrick is the school’s patron saint and that a giant stone shamrock is on the floor outside the College of Engineering.
If possible, don’t just post generically about current events — add your own twist.
For instance, this post references the University of Missouri legend that anyone who walks across the shamrock would go on to fall in love with an engineer.
That’s the sort of quirky tidbit that social media audiences love.
8. Louisiana State University
One of the most effective higher ed social media tactics is to highlight high-profile alumni.
In this TikTok post, Louisiana State highlights former students who were involved in Super Bowl LVI:
@lsu Might as well call it the NFLSU Super Bowl this year… #superbowllvi #superbowl #lsu #bengals #rams #football #beforeandafter ♬ original sound – Ian Asher
If you’re an aspiring college footballer, content like this will have a considerable impact.
But even if you’re not likely to become the next Odell Beckham Jr, it’s still going to make you see the school in a more positive light.
9. Binghamton University
Students don’t just come to college to learn.
There’s also an important social side to campus life — and, for many students, a big part of that revolves around the clubs and societies they join. So it makes sense to showcase those clubs and societies in your social media content.
No doubt you already post when your sports teams win. But why not highlight some of the more unusual organizations at your school?
That’s what Binghamton University does by lifting a lid on the activities of the school’s Cheese Club:
@binghamtonu No wonder they’re the most popular club on campus! Go check out @ binghamtoncheeseclub on Insta 🧀 #ratatouille #fyp #binghamtonuniversity #cheese ♬ Le Festin (From “Ratatouille”) – Movie Sounds Unlimited
If you’re one of the 96% of Americans who eat cheese, this simple video immediately makes Binghamton look a whole lot more attractive.
But regardless of your views on dairy products, it’s a great way to demonstrate the wealth of good, wholesome entertainment on campus.
10. Ohio State University
Ohio State is another school that understands exactly how to craft content that appeals to its target audience.
For example, consider the popular sandbox game Minecraft. It’s often seen as a game for kids. However, 43% of users are aged 15 – 21, which aligns perfectly with an audience of future and current students.
So it’s no surprise that this Minecraft build of the Ohio State campus had racked up 75,000+ views at time of writing (plus hundreds of comments and thousands of likes):
@theohiostateuniversity Ohio State 🤝 @Minecraft ♬ original sound – speaka
As a bonus, an Ohio State alum created this build. Celebrating the achievements of former students is always a win for higher ed marketers.
11. University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina (USC) was rated as the top-performing D1 school on TikTok in RivalIQ’s 2024 Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report, with almost 1.9 million total engagements and an engagement rate by view of 12.84% — nearly three times higher than the average for all higher ed institutions.
There are plenty of reasons why the school performed so well. But much of its success stemmed from this single video featuring the graduation of the guy who played USC’s beloved mascot, Cocky:
@uofscWe ❤️ this moment. Cocky Forever.♬ original sound – U. of South Carolina
At time of writing, this post had notched up 6.2+ million views and 790,000 likes. That’s almost one-third of the school’s total TikTok likes. This shows how much social media audiences love a mascot reveal.
12. Penn State University
We’ve already shown you an entire university campus recreated in Minecraft. Now, for our next example, here’s Penn State University’s football stadium being painstakingly constructed from 7,647 LEGO bricks:
@pennstate 7,647 individual LEGO pieces 🤯 Garrett Gourley, founder of Back 2 Brick and a 2015 Penn State Industrial Engineering graduate, spent almost 100 hours building the three-dimensional model. It will remain on permanent display at the Penn State All-Sports Museum lobby. #lego #pennstate #collegefootball25 ♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89
Once again, it proved super popular, generating almost 42,000 views and 1,500 likes. And you can see why: it’s original and highly relevant to current and former Penn State students.
Plus, it showcases the work of 2015 Penn State Industrial Engineering graduate Garrett Gourley, which makes it even more relevant to the school’s followers.
13. University of Alabama
Social media marketers spend a ton of time coming up with new content ideas.
However, the University of Alabama proves that when you hit on a winning formula, you should stick with it. Every August, it shares a video of its latest batch of students lining up in the school’s logo. Here’s the latest version:
@uofalabama Say hello to our newest students! Welcome home #UA28! 🫶 #RollTide #UA #Bama #ScriptA #ClassPhoto #Timelapse ♬ Fun Travelling – RD Sound
So far, this video has been watched 1.9+ million times, while the 2023 version — which is one of the school’s pinned posts — has an incredible 3.1 million views.
With those numbers, it’s an easy win to keep recreating this video year after year.
14. University of Michigan
Humor can be difficult to pull off on social media because it’s so subjective. Plus, if you get it wrong, people will accuse you of being cringe, which is just about the worst thing that can happen to a social media marketer.
However, the rewards make it worth the effort, with 66% of social media marketers agreeing that funny content is the most effective type of post for their brand.
The University of Michigan gets it right in our next example, which plays on the age gap between juniors and seniors:
@uofmichigan The UMSocial senior interns are looking forward to retirement! 🕓 #UofM #UMich #Michigan #Senior #Junior #Internship #Intern #StudentLife ♬ original sound – Kayla Marie
Sure, it’s not exactly scathing satire. But that’s not necessarily what your audience wants, given that 81% of TikTok users say they use the platform because it’s entertaining.
15. Northeastern University
Inter-school rivalries have long been a big part of the higher ed world. And while we’d never recommend bullying rival schools, a little light-hearted banter can effectively drum up some social media engagement.
Here’s a good example courtesy of Northeastern University, which ranked the campuses of Boston’s various higher ed institutions:
@northeasternu did we rank @Boston University too high fr tho? #northeastern #northeasternuniversity #boston #bostontiktok ♬ original sound – Olive the Griffon
It worked so well that some of Northeastern’s rival schools couldn’t resist sounding off in the comments:
16. Boston College
Sticking with Beantown, Boston College is another institution that leans into playful rivalries.
But rather than focusing on rival schools, it highlights the differences between majors:
@bostoncollege Who should we do next?? #bc360 #foru #collegelife #boston #meme #comedy #grantandash ♬ original sound – bostoncollege
Relatable content like this always plays well on social media. This explains why this post had close to 180,000 views and 26,000+ likes at time of writing — not to mention over 150 comments from current and former students (mostly) agreeing with the friendly stereotypes in the video.
17. Auburn University
Auburn University is another school to leverage nostalgia on TikTok successfully.
Even if you’ve never stepped foot on the university’s campus before, you’ll enjoy this archive footage featuring a bunch of historical students discussing why they love Auburn:
@auburnuofficial Cherishing those moments that made us Auburn Tigers forever! 🐅 #FlashbackFriday #WarEagle ♬ original sound – Auburn University
The cars. The fashion. The graphics. The soundtrack. It’s all so *chef’s kiss*.
If you’ve got access to this sort of archive video yourself, you should absolutely share it on TikTok. It’s easy engagement.
18. University of Tampa
It’s easy for social media marketers to get obsessed with trend-driven content — especially on a fast-moving platform like TikTok.
But there’s a problem: if you’re constantly responding to other people’s posts, you’re not leaving yourself enough bandwidth to come up with your own original ideas.
This doesn’t seem to be an issue for the University of Tampa, which has created its own long-running content series: Trivia Truck. Essentially, it involves one of the school’s social media interns offering their fellow students a ride in a golf cart and bombarding them with general knowledge questions (plus some about the university itself).
Here’s an example featuring a special guest — the school’s 11th president, Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg:
@uoftampaTrivia Cart season 2 starting out with a very special guest!♬ original sound – University of Tampa
Not only is this content fun to watch, but it’s also super repeatable.
The university posts 1 – 2 of these videos per month on TikTok, which takes a whole lot of strain off the brainstorming process.
19. Pittsburg State University
With a student body of less than 6,000, Pittsburg State is an example of a smaller school doing great things on TikTok. Despite having just under 8,500 followers, it’s racked up hundreds of thousands of likes and millions of views on the platform.
Part of Pittsburg State’s success is the way it builds a feeling of school spirit. Just like this example, shared ahead of Family Day 2024:
@pittsburgstate We will see you guys on Family Day THIS Saturday, and ofc there is a home football game! #oagaag #pittstate #football #ncaafootball #collegelife #collegefootball ♬ original sound – Pittsburg State
Sports are often an effective way to bring people together online, which is demonstrated by the fact that this video had almost 17,000 views at time of writing. That’s more than double the number of students who attend Pittsburg State.
Interested in more content like this? Make sure to sign up for our next Higher Ed Virtual Conference.
