Instagram launched a feature that lets verified U.S. college students add their school to their profile banner and browse a directory of other confirmed students at the same campus. The verification runs through UNiDAYS, and the directory offers simple filters such as graduation year. The feature is optional and is meant to make it easier to find classmates and campus groups.
How the feature works
Students tap Add School on their profile to start the process. They then verify their student status through UNiDAYS. Once verified, the profile shows a school banner. Students can choose who can see the banner and can browse a list of other verified students at the same school. The directory supports filters so users can narrow results by year and by other simple criteria. Instagram says the tool is designed to help students find classmates and campus groups.
Instagram introduced this tool soon after TikTok rolled out a similar campus verification feature. TikTok used UNiDAYS for a wide rollout that covered thousands of universities. The two launches show that social platforms see value in campus-level networking this fall.
Privacy and safety concerns
Anything that simplifies the task of locating a single real-world location increases the privacy concerns. The tool may make it simpler for strangers to learn where a person studies. Instagram says the school banner is optional and that users control who sees it. Students should weigh the social benefit against the privacy risk before adding their school.
Colleges and secondary schools have also worked with Instagram on safety programs this year. Those programs help schools flag and remove harmful content quickly. The new campus feature sits alongside those efforts and will require clear reporting and safety controls to prevent abuse. Instagram’s school partnerships for faster report handling offer one path for institutions to respond to problems.
Who this helps and who should be careful
First-year students and campus clubs will likely find the feature useful for making connections. Students who study remotely or who join new programs can use it to meet peers and find campus groups. People who do not want campus peers to find them should simply not add their school. Students with safety concerns should check privacy settings and talk to campus safety offices before they join public directories.
How to use the feature well
Verify only with the official UNiDAYS flow. Choose privacy settings on the banner so only trusted people can see school details if that is preferred. Use filters when searching to find classmates in the same year or program. If a profile or interaction feels unsafe, use Instagram reporting tools, and if needed, contact campus support. These steps help students get value while limiting exposure.
Comparison with TikTok feature
TikTok’s Campus Verification shares the same basic idea. TikTok requires a school email or UNiDAYS verification and lets users browse school pages and filter classmates. TikTok launched its feature first in this cycle, and Instagram followed with a similar option. The two tools are meant to serve the same campus networking need, but they sit in different social ecosystems and may attract different student behaviors.
What colleges and parents should know
Colleges should update their guidance about social media use at the start of the term. University safety squads might need to track the reports that are received within official conduits. Parents need to communicate with students about the amount of personal information they feel to sharing online. There should be strict regulations that can be agreed upon between the institutions and the families of students who will be identified in the public campus directories.