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6 best educational email templates for higher ed

An experienced marketer understands that different email templates serve different purposes. For example, a newsletter doesn’t serve the same purpose as an event invite—so you wouldn’t use the same template in both cases.

The same can be said for those working in higher education. While the best educational email templates can be altered to serve different purposes, they don’t always work across departments.

However, when a higher ed institute has a limited marketing team or budget, having templates ready to use is a wonderful thing. So, if email templates don’t work across all departments, what should a marketer do?

Have a set of the best educational email templates at the ready.

Source: Emma

How can educational email templates help your marketing team?

Nearly 19.9 million students attended colleges and universities in the fall of 2019. Thanks to technology, email has become the preferred method of communication between universities and students. A 2018 study showed that 86% of students prefer to communicate with colleges through email, especially via mobile devices.

With limited staffing and budgetary restrictions, customizing emails for everyone on campus simply isn’t a feasible option. However, if done right, having a small collection of the best educational email templates can help you cater to the needs of specific readers.

For instance, having a template for your admissions department can help those emails stand out from your financial aid department. The same goes for various departments within a campus. A template designed for the students in the education department may not suit the needs of those in the English department.

Minimize the work and resources needed to create relevant emails for your students. Consider designing a set of email templates that can be easily altered according to the needs of each campus department.

6 of the best educational email templates

Understanding just how vital email marketing is to your institution of higher education is only the first step. Planning, designing, and sending out your marketing messages are next. However, trying to come up with the best educational email templates can be difficult.

It doesn’t matter if you oversee email marketing for one department or the entire campus—having the best educational email templates on hand to spark your creative process is a must. That’s why we’ve scoured the web and found these six excellent examples.

1. Admissions/enrollment

The admissions department is often the first that any prospective student encounters. Your admissions email needs to come off as informative, warm, and inviting.

This example from Arizona State University (ASU) does an excellent job of hyping up prospective students. At the same time, they maintain a professional, informative tone.

Source: Really Good Emails

Takeaway: Admissions emails should hold a professional yet relatable voice. Remember, the idea here is to guide prospective students into choosing your institution. This example from ASU has a fun, excitable approach, yet maintains an authoritative feel.

2. Advancement/fundraising

Advancement and fundraising share one common goal: Moving forward. However, that requires finances. Asking for money can be tricky. Experienced marketers know that they must walk a fine line between asking for money and informing readers.

When designing email templates for these purposes, make sure you’re using information. This makes sure that when the time comes to ask for donations, readers are more willing to contribute to the cause.

The Design Institute of Australia does a wonderful job of keeping readers up-to-date on everything campus-related. From current events to updates to their communication formatting—they leave no stone unturned.

Source: Really Good Emails

Takeaway: Keep your readers informed with the best educational email templates so that when it comes time to ask them for donations, they’re more willing to contribute.

3. Financial aid

Besides the admissions office, one of the most significant departments in any higher education institution is the financial aid department. Money is a fickle topic, especially when it comes to borrowing thousands of dollars to continue your education.

The financial aid department needs to create a warm, relaxing environment, all while maintaining professionalism. After all, money’s not a lighthearted subject.

That said, the best educational email templates for financial aid are the ones that convey a serious message, all while putting the reader at ease. The team at Oregon College Savings Plan keeps the subject matter serious while playing to a holiday theme.

Source: Really Good Emails

Takeaway: The best educational email templates regarding money should keep an experienced tone. But they should also help put your reader’s mind at ease. Make sure you’re being straightforward with the facts but present them in a way that doesn’t give the reader unnecessary anxiety.

4. Alumni relations

Alumni relations is a vital department on any campus. Not only does this department keep the university relevant with past students, but it plays a crucial role in raising funds for the campus.

When designing the best educational email templates, marketers working with the alumni department walk a fine line. Think about it: These individuals have already paid hundreds or thousands of dollars to get their education. So, asking them for more money isn’t an easy task.

This example of an alumni relations email is outstanding because it focuses on informing the reader instead of outright asking for donations.

Source: Gmail

It’s these types of informative emails that will later encourage your audience to make donations when the season of giving comes around. Why? Because you’ve taken the time to show them what those donations have gone toward.

Takeaway: Make your alumni relations emails about informing your reader rather than just asking for monetary donations. Building this relationship between the university and their alumni will help encourage donations when you need them most.

5. Athletics

Athletics play a significant role in the college experience for many students. Some partake in athletics and go on to study sports medicine, while others enjoy the social aspect of the department.

Either way, athletics caters to a much wider audience (than say the English department)—which means their email templates need to appeal to a wider audience as well. These messages should entertain and inform, much like the example below.

Source: Pinterest

This message covers:

How to get tickets
Celebrating of the team
Informing of important dates

Better yet, the message is easy to read and gets the reader excited, encouraging them to follow through on the call-to-action (CTA).

Takeaway: Athletics email templates should be designed to capture the reader’s attention, be scannable, and lead to an actionable CTA. Remember, you’re designing for a much grander audience, so you don’t want to get too specific with your terminology. Design to excite the reader, not bog them down with a lot of unnecessary information.

6. Individual departments

While the best educational email templates can often be designed and used across multiple departments, larger campuses may need to designate an individual or team of marketers to tend to specific departments.

Many colleges and universities offer a variety of program options to their students, which means there are a variety of departments or “schools” on one campus. Since each department tends to have different content needs, having designated marketing teams for each can prove beneficial.

For example, Eastern Illinois University has four academic schools with several academic departments listed under each area. It would be unreasonable to have a single marketer in charge of designing the best educational email templates for each department.

The English department alone has a variety of different programs available for students, which can be seen in the example below. For those interested in studying one of these programs, they can opt in and receive information from the specific department instead of relying solely on admissions.

Source: Eastern Illinois University English Department

Takeaway: Give readers the option to receive information from a particular department. It's much more inviting than getting general information from admissions. It will also help students make a more informed decision.

Wrap up

When designing the best educational email templates, it’s crucial to remember that one template will never be perfect. Instead of a single email template for your institution of higher ed, consider designing a set that can be altered.

Some of the best educational email templates to have on hand include: