Email marketing for education: Strategies to engage and retain students

I remember the first time I saw a “Welcome to campus” email that made me smile. Not because it had fancy visuals or clever copy, it just felt real. Like someone had written it with me in mind, not for a faceless list of “prospective students.”

And that’s the thing. Education is built on the connection between teachers and students, schools and parents, universities and alumni. Whether you’re promoting a new course, welcoming new students, or simply reminding parents about exam week, email remains one of the most direct and personal communication channels in education.

According to a recent survey, 77% of students prefer to receive information via email, compared to 60% who choose paper mail and 52% who opt for college websites and visits. But let’s be honest: Just sending another newsletter won’t cut it. Great results don’t come from “sending more” but from “sending smarter.” The secret lies in strategy, personalization, and thoughtful email design (the kind that makes your audience feel seen).

In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about email marketing for higher education, from crafting targeted content and designing engaging layouts to measuring success and creating efficient subject lines. 

Key takeaways

1. Start with clear goals and segment your audience by who they are and what they need.
2. Keep messages short, structured, and valuable (every email should teach, guide, or inspire).
3. Design for clarity, not decoration. Accessibility and mobile-first layouts aren’t just trends for higher education email marketing; they’re a sign of respect for your readers.
4. Measure what matters: engagement and trust, not just open rates.

What is email marketing for education?

If we strip away the buzzwords, higher ed email marketing is simply the art of keeping people connected through relevant messages. It’s not about selling courses or chasing clicks. It’s about nurturing relationships with students, parents, alumni, and staff through clear, consistent, and human communication.

For higher education marketers, this might mean building campaigns that attract prospective students and move them from curiosity to enrollment. For internal communication teams, it’s a way to keep the school community aligned by sharing updates, celebrating wins, and making sure everyone feels like their part of something bigger.

Take a look at the example of a university email digest below. You can find any kind of information, whether you are looking for accommodation, want some security tips while traveling at night, or need to apply for alternative exam arrangements.

(Source: Email from the University of Bristol)

At its best, university email marketing creates a rhythm: a steady flow of touchpoints that build trust over time and keep readers interested. Like a teacher who remembers your name long after class is over: It’s a small thing, but it matters.

Types of emails used in education:

• enrollment and admissions updates: Keep future students informed every step of the way with messages like “Your application is complete! Here’s what happens next” and gentle reminders before deadlines;
• event invitations: Open days, online webinars, career fairs, and all those moments when the campus (or a virtual space) comes alive. Emails help you invite, remind, and follow up;
• course or curriculum announcements: From launching new programs to updating course structures, these emails help current and prospective students see what’s next;
• student engagement campaigns: If you see that your learners are losing their motivation throughout the semester, encourage them with cheerful emails, study tips, and progress reminders (e.g., “You’re halfway through your course. Great work!”);
• fundraising and alumni relations: Once students graduate, your story with them doesn’t have to end. Regular updates, success stories, and donation campaigns help maintain that lifelong bond.

(Source: Email from the University of Bristol)

How to create an efficient educational email

While a good email feels effortless to a recipient, there’s still a clear strategy behind it. Before you start designing your email or writing copy, I recommend that you think about your recipients: Who are you talking to via this email? What do they need right now? What are they frustrated with? What actions do you want them to take after reading your message? Once you know these answers, visuals, buttons, and tone grow naturally from them.

1. Define goals

If your email tries to do everything, it usually ends up doing nothing. So, define your goal first and ensure that every line, image, and link supports it. You might want to help enrolled students stay on track with their deadlines. Or perhaps you need to invite parents to a PTA meeting or organize an alumni gathering. You may also need to write an email to a professor, so be sure to check out our article on the topic.

2. Segment your target audience

One of the biggest mistakes in educational communication is treating everyone the same.
Parents don’t read like students, and alumni don’t click like faculty.

Use proper email list segmentation to send the right message to the right people:

• prospective students: Focus on what’s ahead (e.g., courses, opportunities, campus life);
• current students: Share study tips, exam dates, and important contacts. You can also emphasize support and motivation;
• parents: Focus on trust, transparency, and involvement;
• alumni: Build nostalgia and pride.

3. Create valuable content

Let’s be honest: Most educational emails fail not because of design, but because the content is boring or irrelevant. You can spend hours designing the prettiest header and banner in the world, but if the message doesn’t help the reader, it will land in the trash folder.

Always start with your reader in mind: What problem does this email solve today? A confused applicant? A student lost in deadlines? An alum who just needs a nudge? The clearer the purpose, the more natural the content.

It’s also crucial to keep messages short and scannable and to stick to one idea per email. Use headings, bullets, and a single clear CTA. People read between classes and calls; respect their time. It turns “just another update” into something readers want to open.

4. Design for clarity

If you want to create a successful educational email, keep in mind that readability outweighs fancy graphics. Here are some design principles to remember:

• stick to one or two colors from your brand palette;
• use plenty of white space to let your message “breathe”;
• highlight key actions with a clear CTA button (not just “Click here,” but “Join the webinar” or “Check your schedule”);
• always make your email mobile-friendly, as 41% of your readers will open it on their phone between classes or while commuting.

If you want to save time on design, don’t forget to check out our education templates, as they are created with responsiveness and accessibility in mind, so you can focus on the content that matters. 

5. Automate communication

Email automation is a timesaver when your marketing team is busy with exams, enrollment rush, or events. Here are a few tips where you can easily benefit from automation:

• application confirmation and status updates;
• payment reminders;
• student progress milestones;
• course completion certificates;
• alumni re-engagement campaigns.

Best practices for email marketing in education

If you’ve ever opened a “Dear Student” email and felt nothing, you already know what not to do. The best educational emails sound like they come from people, not systems. Here are the best practices for higher education marketing:

• keep the tone informative yet warm (professional enough to trust, human enough to care). A recipient should feel you’re talking to them, not at them;
• use storytelling. Share real moments: a first-year student who turned a struggle into success, a teacher whose class changed lives, an alum who found purpose thanks to your program;
• optimize for mobile devices. Over 41% of emails are opened on phones, and if your audience includes millennials, this figure grows to 59%. Use a single-column layout; compress images to ensure faster email loading times; and keep paragraphs short, buttons large, and subject lines under 50 characters;
• personalize beyond names. “Hi, Alex” isn’t true personalization; “Hi, Alex! Your scholarship deadline is next week” is. Segment by role, program, or engagement level to make every message feel intentional;
• maintain brand consistency across all educational communications. Your logo, colors, and tone should be recognizable among other emails, whether it’s a course reminder or a donor appeal;
• ensure compliance with data privacy. Follow GDPR, COPPA, and any regional rules, especially when minors are involved. Transparency earns loyalty; shortcuts don’t. We have a dedicated article about email regulations by country, so make sure to check it out.

Tips for designing engaging educational emails

Design in education isn’t about showing off; it’s about helping people stay on track with their studies. Let’s take a look at some email design tips you can use to help recipients interact with your emails more easily:

Benefit from visual hierarchy

Guide attention the way a good teacher guides a class: headline first, key message second, action third. Use bold text or color to highlight what’s urgent (deadlines, next steps, links to sign up).

In the example below, there’s an email with a winter schedule and syllabi available. You can see that online information session dates, syllabi links, and Zoom streaming are highlighted in green to attract readers’ attention.

(Source: Email Love)

Use banners with purpose

Add banners for events, illustrations for online courses, or quick stats in icons. A single relevant image can make a message more memorable, but keep it lightweight and meaningful. Remember that a photo of a smiling student (one of your actual students, not an AI-generated one) beats another stock handshake any day.

Take a look at the banner inviting people to a basketball game. There’s an eye-catching background, a readable, high-contrast font, and a clear CTA button. Those who want more information can also find a detailed text description with pricing and locations right below the banner.

(Source: Email Love)

Incorporate videos or GIFs 

A short GIF of the campus, a looping “Thank you” animation, or a dean’s video greeting turn a standard update into a small experience. Just don’t overload: One moving element per email is plenty. In the template below, you can see different content formats for an email digest, from articles to videos and podcasts.

(Source: Stripo template)

Keep your emails accessible

Did you know that about 1.3 billion people around the world have a significant disability? Because people with disabilities are probably among your email recipients, your message should reach everyone, including readers who use screen readers or keyboard navigation. Accessibility isn’t just a checklist; it’s empathy in design.

The event digest newsletter below is a good example of email accessibility. The fonts are readable, the subheadings are structured, the link text is meaningful and underlined, and the copy is left-aligned. For even better accessibility, I recommend avoiding excessive italics and using bold for emphasis.

(Source: Email Love)

If you want to save time and are looking for more information on using prebuilt templates in Stripo, watch this video with actionable tips.

 

Writing strong subject lines for educational emails

Did you know that 64% of recipients decide whether to open an email based on just the subject line? It is your chance to make a great first impression, and in a crowded inbox, it determines whether your email even gets a chance to speak. Educational audiences are busy with deadlines, skeptical, and flooded with messages. You’ve got about 40-50 characters to earn a click.

1. Stay succinct. Here, I would recommend that you choose clarity over fancy wordplay. “Submit your application by Friday” works better than “Your future is waiting.” Students (and parents) want to know, not guess.
2. Keep it relevant. Link the email subject line directly to what the reader cares about right now (enrollment, deadlines, progress updates, or achievements). For example:
   • admissions: “Ready to start your next chapter at [University Name]?”;
   • events: “Join our online open day this Saturday”;
   • progress: “You’re halfway there! Keep going.”
3. Use curiosity carefully. A hint of mystery can boost open rates (e.g., “A message from your future classmates”) but only if the content delivers on the promise. Never clickbait, and remember that education is supposed to build trust.
4. Test, learn, repeat. Even the best subject line can surprise you in A/B tests. Try versions that differ in tone (formal vs. friendly, informative vs. emotional) and see what resonates. If you want to save even more time, make sure to check out our AI subject line generator. Enter the topic, choose the tone and capitalization, enable or disable emojis, and set the language. With this email marketing tool, you’ll get a variety of subject lines for your emails. And you can always generate more if you haven’t found the perfect one.

Measuring the success of your educational email campaigns

Even the best-looking email means little if you don’t know what it achieved. Measuring results helps you understand not just who opened but who cared enough to act.

1. Track the right metrics

Start with the basics:

• open rate: Shows how engaging your subject line is;
• click-through rates (CTR): Reveals whether your content and CTA actually inspire action;
• conversion rate: Measures real outcomes (applications, registrations, donations).

For internal newsletters or college student updates, engagement (replies, link clicks, and time spent) can be more meaningful than conversions.

2. Look beyond one campaign

One great email won’t help you build trust, but consistency will. Use your email marketing platform to track engagement over time and spot trends: Do students open more during exam periods? Do parents click faster when reminders come in the evening? These patterns help you send smarter, not more.

3. Connect data with people

Whereas metrics tell you what happened, feedback tells you why. Ask students, parents, staff, or alumni what kinds of updates they want. Sometimes, the best optimization starts with a simple conversation.

4. Experiment to boost your campaigns

Run small A/B tests on subject lines, visuals, or CTAs. A simple tweak (“Join now” vs. “Reserve your spot”) can shift results by double digits. Treat every email campaign like a class project: hypothesize, test, learn, repeat.

Wrapping up

Educational emails may differ from traditional email marketing campaigns, but the core goal is still the same: Understand your recipients’ needs or pains and provide them with helpful, relevant information at the right time. The beauty of email is that it grows with you. As your institution evolves with new programs, new students, and new stories, your communication can adapt without losing its warmth.