If you are currently attending college somewhere or plan on going to college soon, you best be up to speed on our favorite dating apps for college students! After all, college is a time when you’re busy learning to become an adult and handle a demanding workload. It is a busy season of life. Apps for college dating are an excellent resource for students looking for relationships at school but need to fit it somewhere in their busy schedules!
Our best college student dating apps can help you find fun dates between your studies, or you could discover a meaningful, long-term relationship that could last beyond graduation day. There are even a few sites that are perfect for finding true love or your soulmate. As always, we’ve come prepared with plenty of free trial links to test out our recommendations without having to pay (save some of that cash for your spring break trip or load up on more ramen).
Zoosk
eHarmony
Hinge
Tinder
OkCupid
Coffee Meets Bagel
Our team has independently researched all products and services that we have listed on this page. If you sign up or purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. See how it works.
A small tip from us at DatingApps.com: feel free to sign up for more than one of these dating apps. There are no hard and fast rules out there saying that you must stick with one dating app. Joining more than one platform will expand your search by leaps and bounds. You might save time in your search because you’ll discover a wider assortment of singles. And saving time is always a plus when you’re up against a hectic college schedule!
About Our Rating and Review Process
Our favorite college student dating apps are run through our unique review process. Our approach is to make evaluations that are completely honest and free of bias. We take all the pros and cons we find along the way and factor them into our appraisal. We take time to examine these five main categories to determine our rating:
- Cost of membership
- Membership features and benefits
- Usability and ease of use
- The number of active members
- The effectiveness of the matchmaking system
Once we’ve established a rating for each of these categories, we pull an average to form the overall rating for the site or the mobile app. You end up getting the most accurate picture possible and, along with that, realistic expectations of each college dating app! You can trust our reviews to lay out all the benefits as well as the areas of improvement.
Reviews of the Top 6 College Student Dating Apps
Zoosk – Key Features and Benefits
Key Features
- Log in through Facebook, and your likes will sync automatically.
- Carousel-style dating acts like the swipe style at Tinder.
- The “SmartPick” feature analyzes preferences in your interactions with other profiles to establish your type.
- The “See who’s online” tab is a great feature for finding singles who will message right back.
- Great Dates allow members to video chat with other Zoosk members. This video verification can confirm that members look precisely like their profile picture.
- Read notification receipts to let you know when your messages have been received and read.
- Boost your profile to be pushed to the top of Zoosk’s search results.
Far and away, Zoosk is our best dating app for college students. It has everything you could be looking for. It’s a dating app with exciting, dynamic swipe-style dating profiles found at a place called the Carousel. “Like” the singles that capture your interest and “pass” on the blasé options. There are a ton of members to view; Zoosk has a vast dating pool compared to most dating apps: 40 million total users. Around 500,000 of those are actively engaged each day. Most members are in their 20s, and there are 3 million messages sent each day on the platform! Not bad!
For the most part, Zoosk is ideal for finding hookups or casual dates, but it’s possible to find true love or a committed relationship here too. It is not Zoosk’s forte, but it’s been known to happen. If you’re interested in finding your true love while earning your degree, Zoosk is a decent option. It helps that the men-to-women ratio at the site is split at nearly 50/50. There’s a wide variety of singles with other dating and relational goals!
eHarmony – Key Features and Benefits
Key Features
- Take the 32 Dimensions of Compatibility test and view your results.
- Get compatibility reports and scores on any of your matches.
- Add members to your Favorites List.
- Send “smiles” and “compliments” to members you’re interested in connecting with or meeting.
- Interactive icebreakers are available to members that kickstart a conversation.
- Unlimited communications and profile access with other app members.
- Find out who has liked or viewed your profile.
- See who added your profile to their Favorites List.
- Wildcard matches (What If) are issued each day. These are suggestions that fall outside of ideal compatibility.
- Use the incognito mode to browse profiles anonymously.
- Video dates are available to members allowing them to have face-to-face conversations with their matches.
If you want to find a meaningful, profound relationship during your time at university, there is no better option than eHarmony! It is one of the best dating apps for college students looking for something serious with that special someone that will go beyond the four walls of the school.
eHarmony members can view unlimited matches on any given day. And they have an active user base of over 16 million, which is evenly split between men and women. The possibilities are truly endless with the eHarmony dating pool. This is a winning combination for finding something deeper and more meaningful than a fling or one-night stand with someone you’ll never see again. College students can be sure of finding true love amid term papers, study groups, and on-campus events.
Hinge – Key Features and Benefits
Key Features
- Set up Poll and Video Prompts to interact with other Hinge members.
- Message your mutual matches.
- Send one rose per week to anyone who catches your eye.
- Enjoy unlimited likes and comments on other members’ profiles and photos.
- Find out which members liked your profile.
- Use advanced preferences to break down your searches on the app further.
Say you’re looking for a serious relationship during your time at school, but you don’t care for eHarmony and its matchmaking approach, where you have no power to search for matches on your own. You need to try Hinge! It’s the dating app for meaningful relationships that puts you back in the driver’s seat and lets you set up the search filters on your own!
Hinge is set up a lot like Tinder or Zoosk in terms of its swipe-style dating profiles and the users’ ability to view a high volume of singles in a short time. But the focus is on meaningful, serious commitments that lead to long-term relationships or marriage. There are 500,000 active members in the US who enjoy the service, and membership pricing begins at $16.66/month!
Tinder – Key Features and Benefits
Key Features
- Send unlimited likes to any members of the app.
- Find out who likes your profile.
- Priority likes allow you to be seen first by the people you like.
- Get through a ton of profiles by swiping right on the ones you like and swiping left on the ones you’re uninterested in.
- Enjoy unlimited rewinds on any accidental swipes.
- Paying members get one free boost per month and five “Super Likes” per week.
- Send a message before matching with someone else.
- Tinder Passport is excellent for international dating possibilities and allows members to meet or match with anyone around the world.
- Control who sees your profile.
- Premium members don’t have to worry about disruptive ads while browsing through profiles.
This might be the optimum college dating app because, let’s face it, college is a time of sewing your wild oats before the commitment of marriage and family that comes later in life. Tinder is the face of casual dating and romance, so it’s no surprise that it’s a popular dating app for college students! With over 8 million active members, there’s a good chance of finding and connecting with people from campus on Tinder.
Tinder comes at a great, low membership price (begins at $13.49/month) and offers its members a ton of excellent features. Redo any accidental swipes you might have made while multitasking during your professor’s lecture, stand out by sending a “superlike” to special someone you’ve only ever seen in passing between classes, or use Tinder Passport to connect with international singles if you’re on a study abroad program!
OkCupid – Key Features and Benefits
Key Features
- Avoid intrusive ads as a premium member.
- Priority messaging allows your messages to feature at the top of other members’ inboxes.
- Discover any profiles or matches that liked or viewed your profile.
- Send unlimited likes to other members.
- Access advanced search filters that allow you to search using additional criteria.
- Get three “superlikes” per day for free.
- Be notified when your messages have been received and read by the recipient.
- Enjoy daily auto boosts, which increase the visibility of your profile.
OkCupid lets its new, non-paying members enjoy a lot more freedom and additional perks than many other college dating apps. College students who use the OkCupid free trial can send messages to other singles on the app without having to pay! And that is a huge coup, especially if you’re tight on money trying to cover your tuition. Still, it’s a lot better to go with the premium membership for the better features (extra “superlikes” and auto boosting).
Whether you’re looking for a potential marriage partner or someone down for a short-term fling or romance, you can find it at OkCupid, as their main goal is to match up singles with similar interests and mindsets. It’s a great dating app for college students open to different kinds of relationships, a place of exciting possibilities.
Coffee Meets Bagel – Key Features and Benefits
Key Features
- Send unlimited “woos” to the members who capture your attention (these are like “likes” at other dating apps).
- Discover the friends of your mutual matches.
- Get 6,000 beans each month, courtesy of Coffee Meet Bagel (15% off bean purchases for premium members).
- Read receipts to let you know when your messages have been received and read.
- Receive activity reports on your daily matches.
In college, you’re busy taking care of business. You must maintain decent grades, you have your intermural frisbee commitments, and there’s always coffee with friends that takes up a lot of your free time. Finding the time to meet someone special or experience an exciting college romance might be a challenge to fit into your hectic schedule. Dating apps help with this, but you need one with a proven track record of success that gives you good results fast!
Coffee Meets Bagel deals in high volume. There are over 11 million total members on the platform, and 400,000 new users are added to the site each month. Since they opened their doors in 2012, they’ve conducted 50 million matches, made 25 million introductions, and have been responsible for producing 120 marriages! And it’s excellent for college students because it’s just as good at setting up serious relationships as it does casual romance, short-term flings, or hookups.
Why Trust Our College Student Dating Apps Recommendations
Why should you trust our recommendations when it comes to dating apps for college students? Though we aren’t college students, we have enough sense to know that those in school are looking for a dating platform that comes at an affordable price and provides a dating pool full of exciting possibilities. And there are a few other reasons why you can trust our voice on this subject. Find out more below.
Expert Reviews
As we mentioned earlier in the review, we run all the dating apps we recommend to our readers through a rigorous review process where we factor in the positive and negative realities of each platform. We look at each of the following aspects:
- Reasonable, affordable membership pricing
- Excellent ease of use for the website and app
- Strong membership features
- A robust matchmaking algorithm/methodology
- A deep dating pool that provides unique possibilities
With each of these five main categories, we consider all the pros and cons we find along the way. We go over all the important stuff, but we do it unbiasedly. We never shy away from criticism, and we’ll deliver praise where it’s deserved. But our number-one goal is to provide honest and transparent reviews of these college student dating apps.
Real User Testimonials
Not only do we conduct a thorough research by ourselves, but we also look at what other consumers and paying members of these apps are saying about the platforms online. We must consider the public sentiment toward these dating sites in addition to our findings.
For these matters, we consult SiteJabber, Trustpilot, and ConsumerAffairs. But we always take the reviews we find at these places with a grain of salt. These reviews help us gain more insight into the downsides of these college dating apps, which ultimately helps us to craft a more honest review!
That’s because consumers are far more likely to post negative stories or feedback than to tell of a positive experience.
In-Depth Research and Analysis
We take the time to test out these college student dating apps for ourselves. We register a new account, develop a profile, and then test out the site using the free trial experience. Then we upgrade to a paid membership plan, and we enjoy the premium features and interact with other singles on the site.
By testing out these dating sites and mobile apps ourselves, we have a better shot at bringing you a more accurate and well-rounded review! Our reviews are always written from a place of firsthand experience. We’re able to discuss how we liked the sites’ overall setup, the quality of the search tools or matchmaking algorithm, and the quality of the singles or profiles we discovered in our journeys.
Benefits of Choosing a College Student Dating App
Find out what makes these the best dating apps for college students anywhere online. This combination of dating apps is like lightning in a bottle because they make for the most extensive array of benefits, specifically for college students. These apps will deliver the best overall results in terms of potential matches and what you get for the price.
Greater Compatibility
Each college dating app employs its unique approach to ensure top-notch compatibility between its members. eHarmony has its 32 Dimensions of Compatibility test during the registration stage. For the most part, the other dating apps have excellent search filters that help users find their perfect match by being able to search by various factors (education level, interests, religious beliefs, lifestyle choices, etc.)
Then there are the dating apps like Tinder and Zoosk that have search filters but also feature another layer of algorithmic matching where each member’s swipe-style dating preferences are used to create better matches in the future.
Shared Values and Beliefs
Our favorite college dating apps cover a wide range of relational goals and expectations, which ensures that singles are meeting those who share their values and beliefs:
- Zoosk: It’s great for finding something serious or casual. Often, it’s more geared toward singles who are more into flings or hookups. The dating pool is large enough that you can find short-term romance or your marriage partner.
- eHarmony: It’s the perfect platform where you’ll find compatible matches on all levels. This one is popular with religious singles and those interested in serious commitments made to last a lifetime. It’s good for finding a spouse at school.
- Hinge: This is another dating app that is ideal for finding meaningful relationships, but it’s set up with swipe-style profiles and allows members to set up their search filters to have complete control over their matches. It’s like eHarmony, but it is structured more like Tinder.
- Tinder: Anyone who uses Tinder knows you’re there to find flings and hookups. People on Tinder usually aren’t looking for anything too serious. There are some rare instances of serious relationships developing from here, but it’s a place mainly for quick, short-term dates or romance.
- OkCupid: This could be the best college dating app aside from eHarmony when it comes to finding like-minded singles. However, the search for these singles is not done using advanced personality testing but advanced search filters. OkCupid members look for serious and casual relationships alike. Most people here are open-minded about letting relationships play out organically.
- Coffee Meets Bagel: It’s a highly effective college dating app for students interested in meaningful, profound relationships and casual romance to an extent. Coffee Meets Bagel members typically lean toward long-lasting relationships that continue outside of college.
Vast Dating Pools
The more college students using these dating apps, the better the options you’ll have at your disposal! Though not everyone on these platforms is currently in college, they provide deep enough dating pools for an exciting choice of possibilities:
- Zoosk: 500,000 paying members (40+ million registered total)
- eHarmony: 16+ million
- Hinge: 500,000 in the US
- Tinder: 8+ million
- OkCupid: 10 million
- Coffee Meets Bagel: 11 million
Finding the Best Dating App for Your Needs
Need some tips on the best dating app for you while you navigate the challenges of college life? Check out some great tips for finding the perfect platform so you can begin meeting your ideal match!
Assessing Your Preferences
Are casual romancing or short-term the kinds of relationships you’re looking for at school? Or do you want something long-term where you could see yourself married or living together once school is over? It’s important to assess your dating preferences to know which dating app is your best course of action.
For serious relationships or dating:
- eHarmony: This is our top pick! They even provide compatibility reports and scores on all matches they send to you!
- Hinge: This one is good for finding meaningful relationships, but does its matchmaking like a casual dating app?
- Zoosk: It’s mostly for casual dating, but you can find serious relationships here too.
- OkCupid: Find someone who’s like-minded and shares your interests or beliefs. There’s a good chance that a serious relationship or connection will come out of it!
- Coffee Meets Bagel: Another option where you’ll likely find as many serious connections as casual ones.
For casual romance or dating:
- Tinder: This is our top pick for casual dates and short-term romances. There are plenty of options with 8+ million members!
- Zoosk: This one is a close second to Tinder. Set up with swipe-style profiles, Zoosk allows you to meet a wide array of singles looking for casual relationships.
- OkCupid: There’s a chance that you’ll meet someone who shares your interests, but the relationship ends up being a fling or hookup.
Comparing Features and Pricing
Money can be tight for many college students. There are a ton who work part-time jobs to cover the cost of tuition, take care of their housing, or buy their textbooks. When it comes to online dating, you want a dating app that comes at a decent price and offers great value in terms of features, perks, and benefits.
Zoosk
| Membership Plan | Cost Per Month | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
3-Month Plan | $19.98 | $59.95 |
6-Month Plan | $13.35 | $79.99 |
12-Month Plan | $10.00 | $119.99 |
eHarmony
| Membership Plan | Cost Per Month | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
6-Month Plan | $65.90 | $395.40 |
12-Month Plan | $45.90 | $550.80 |
24-Month Plan | $35.90 | $861.60 |
Hinge
| Membership Plan | Cost Per Month | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
1-Month Plan | $34.99 | $34.99 |
3-Month Plan | $21.66 | $64.99 |
6-Month Plan | $16.66 | $99.99 |
Tinder
| Membership Plan | Cost Per Month | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
1-Month Plan (Plus) | $13.49 | $13.49 |
6-Month Plan (Plus) | $6.75 | $40.50 |
12-Month Plan (Plus) | $4.50 | $54.00 |
1-Month Plan (Gold) | $22.49 | $22.49 |
6-Month Plan (Gold) | $11.25 | $67.50 |
12-Month Plan (Gold) | $7.50 | $90.00 |
1-Month Plan (Platinum) | $26.99 | $26.99 |
6-Month Plan (Platinum) | $13.50 | $81.00 |
12-Month Plan (Platinum) | $9.00 | $108.00 |
OkCupid
| Membership Plan | Cost Per Month | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
1-Month Plan | $39.99 | $39.99 |
3-Month Plan | $26.66 | $79.98 |
6-Month Plan | $19.99 | $119.94 |
Coffee Meets Bagel
| Membership Plan | Cost Per Month | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
1-Month Plan | $34.99 | $34.99 |
3-Month Plan | $25.00 | $74.99 |
6-Month Plan | $20.00 | $119.99 |
12-Month Plan | $15.00 | $179.99 |
Note: For an idea of the benefits and features you gain for the price you pay, check out the “Key Features” section in each of our college dating app write-ups above!
Each dating app we recommend for college students comes at middle-of-the-road pricing for their premium membership plans. They’re all relatively comparable, apart from eHarmony, which is in a league of its own, honestly.
Evaluating Success Stories and Reviews
For a better idea of our favorite college dating apps (and which is best for you), we advise you to read reviews and success stories online from people who have used the product for themselves. We highly recommend checking out places like SiteJabber, ConsumerAffairs, and Trustpilot for these matters.
Full Reviews
But if you’re curious about our appraisal of each of these college dating apps, we’re more than happy to direct you to our honest, complete reviews at DatingApps.com. And unlike heavy research for a daunting school project, our reviews are easy to skim through and learn from!
Downloading and Signing Up for a Dating App
Most of the registration times for these college dating apps take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. eHarmony is a bit longer due to its advanced personality and compatibility testing, clocking in somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes!
Available Platforms
You can use any of these dating apps in three forms. You can access them using the web browser on your computer, you can access them on your mobile device using the web browser, or you can download the dedicated mobile app to your mobile device.
| Dating App | Internet Browser | Google Play | Apple Store |
|---|---|---|---|
Zoosk | Yes | Yes | Yes |
eHarmony | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Hinge | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tinder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
OkCupid | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Coffee Meets Bagel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Each mobile app is free to download and allows free trial members to make in-app purchases when they choose to upgrade to a premium membership plan.
| Dating App | Google Play | Apple Store |
|---|---|---|
Zoosk | Rated 3.4/5 stars | Rated 4.2/5 stars |
eHarmony | Rated 3.1/5 stars | Rated 4.0/5 stars |
Hinge | Rated 3.5/5 stars | Rated 4.5 stars |
Tinder | Rated 3.6/5 stars | Rated 3.8/5 stars |
OkCupid | Rated 3.5/5 stars | Rated 4.3/5 stars |
Coffee Meets Bagel | Rated 3.7/5 stars | Rated 4.5/5 stars |
Are There Free College Student Dating Apps?
College is an era of working part-time jobs at the student union, eating three square meals a day of ramen noodles, and pinching pennies together for gas money to get back home during break. College can be a significant expense, and many students do not have a lot of spare cash.
We’ve selected dating apps that offer a wide range of membership plans which work with even the meagerest of budgets. While most have limited functionality and few features, some free trial setups will enable you to send messages and view who you matched with! Several free trial experiences are worth noting because they allow you to test the site before paying!
Freemium Models
Each dating app we recommend for college students comes with free trials that only let you use a portion of the premium features for free. This is what’s known as a freemium-free trial model. New users can register a new account and create a free profile, as well as enjoy some basic features like searching for profiles using the search filters and sending likes to other members on the site.
Note: One notable exception worth pointing out is OkCupid which allows its free members to message other members without having to pay.
Feature Limitations
With the freemium free trial models we discovered at most of these college dating apps, some features are generally included at no cost and features that are typically a part of the premium memberships. This can change from platform to platform, but these are the typical free or paid features you’ll find on most online dating apps.
| Typical Free Features | Typical Paid Features |
|---|---|
Register a new account | Communicate or message other members without any limitations |
Create and develop a complimentary profile | Be notified when your messages have been received and read |
Enter search criteria and view profiles that come up | Enjoy profile boosts and priority messaging that increases your overall visibility. |
Send “likes,” “winks,” “woos,” or “flirts” to the profiles you like | Know which members have liked or viewed your profile |
View bio information and photos on other members’ profiles | Access advanced search filters to hone the results of your online searches |
Get matches from the site or swipe through profiles that align with your preferences. | Enjoy video dates that allow you to meet your matches face-to-face |
Paid Upgrades
On top of the premium features that come with the paid membership plan, several college dating apps on our list include additional upgrades, which come at an extra cost beyond the price of membership. These include:
- Profile boosts
- Profile or message highlights
- Priority messaging
- Read notification receipts
- Incognito or invisibility mode
- Purchasing virtual gifts for other members
Tips for Success on College Student Dating Apps
Our best college student dating apps are perfect for finding dates or true love during a busy school schedule. It is always good to know a few tips and tricks for getting the most out of the matchmaking experience and keeping yourself safe in the process! Follow our best tips for using these websites and mobile apps so you can steer clear of trouble and avoid potential headaches!
Creating a Compelling Profile
When creating your dating app profile, make sure you use a clear picture of yourself. Be honest in your bio and information section, listing out some goals for your life, achievements you take pride in, or some activities that you enjoy and help you pass the time. Be sure to clearly state what you are looking for in an online dating experience. Your honesty and sincerity here will go a long way.
Choosing the Right Profile Picture
A picture can be worth a thousand words. Not only do you want to choose an image that has a clear shot of your face, but you also want to choose a picture that captures the spirit of the real you. Teach others about yourself with the help of a good profile photo. Include photos of yourself where you’re enjoying an activity you appreciate.
It’s also a good idea to have the profile photo be just you. Posting a photo with your friends will not only have the viewer wondering which one is you, but you’re also introducing competition into the mix. By adding pictures of just yourself, you’re keeping things simple and to the point.
It’s also a good idea to have the profile photo be just you. Posting a photo with your friends will not only have the viewer wondering which one is you, but you’re also introducing competition into the mix. By adding pictures of just yourself, you’re keeping things simple and to the point.
Crafting Engaging Conversations
Send a good first message to your match that leaves a lasting impression. Be honest about who you are and show sincerity in getting to know them. Do not use tired cliches or pickup lines to impress them, and avoid any generic sayings or boilerplate responses. The idea is to stand out from other singles who might have messaged them in the past. Just be yourself and get to know your match based on what you see of them in their online profile. As mentioned earlier, I have some great questions lined up and ready to go to show them you read their profile information.
Be sure also to read 9 Important Tips for the First Date and 10 Online Dating Mistakes to Avoid When Sending Messages.
Setting Realistic Expectations
It’s so much easier to set realistic expectations for yourself when you know what you want in a relationship or a dating partner. If you know that you want a serious relationship, do not waste your time with a dating app like Zoosk. Go straight to eHarmony. And vice versa! When you know what you want, you do not have to waste time and energy on dating apps that are inappropriate for your needs! Take it from us. You will be a lot more successful in your mission when you know what you want.
Staying Safe While Online Dating
You have nothing to worry about when it comes to sharing your private information with college dating apps. They make sure that that information never gets into the wrong hands. We are talking about keeping your information confidential from other users on the app. For example, you should never share any financial information with anyone you do not know or send money to someone “in a crisis.” Many of these apps have online dating scammers who look to harm you. Never give out bank information or share your personal phone number or email address.
Do Good Research on Your Matches
If you want to be successful in getting regular dates or in finding someone special to do life with after college, you need to do some good research on your matches which includes getting to know what they like, what they do for fun, and what kind of people they hang around. Begin creating some questions you can ask on the first dates based on the information you have studied from their profile. You are likely to get another date or continue the relationship when they see you have taken the time to read their profile.
Navigating Common Challenges on College Student Dating Apps
College dating and relationships are unique beasts. Learn how to navigate some of the common challenges that college students face when they use their favorite dating apps.
Dealing with Rejection
Colleges can be big places! If you’re attending a state school or a more prominent university, it’s no revelation that these establishments have a large enrollment of students. Even smaller private colleges and schools can have several thousand in attendance. There are plenty of people on campus to connect with and meet. So, if you were rejected by someone you felt was a good match, don’t sweat it too much.
There are relationship opportunities around every corner and sometimes in the most unlikely places. College dating apps make it easy to find people in attendance on your campus and connect with them quickly. Plenty of other fish are in the college pond, and many are using these dating apps.
Avoiding Scams and Fraud
Identify scammers by the words they use. Often, spam accounts, fake profilers, and scammers will work you with over-the-top flattery and compliments. They will often rush to say “I love you” or express strong feelings after knowing you for only a short while. Scammers seem to like using the word “fate” as in, “I believe in fate, and I believe there is a special reason why you and I found each other.”
Beware of these buzzwords and know how to spot a scammer early.
An excellent way to avoid dating app scams is to do social media checks on the profile you interact with. If you can find someone’s Facebook or Instagram and confirm their identity, you can avoid dealing with a fake account that’s trying to trick you. Aside from checking social media, you can check the college’s student directory, ask other students if they know your match, or try to spot your match somewhere on campus.
Balancing Online and Offline Interactions
It’s great to meet matches using college dating apps, but there will come a time when you need to meet up in person and get to know one another better or go out on a date. You’ll want to shift communication from the app into real-life encounters or possibly to texting or other social media. While colleges and universities can seem like big, anonymous places, they can also be relatively small, places where you’re bound to run across everyone eventually at some point.
College Student Dating Apps FAQs
If you want to learn more about our favorite men dating apps, check out some of the most common questions we get from our readers about these five dating apps.
What Is the Best Overall Dating App for College Students?
The answer to this question will depend on what kind of relationship you are looking for. For those desiring casual dates, we would say Zoosk. On the other end of things, students who want a committed relationship should give eHarmony a chance.
Are College Dating Apps Safe to Use?
Yes, each of the college dating apps we recommend in this review is entirely secure and safe for college students to use as they look for dates, hookups, or true love. Each site uses SSL-encrypted connections for its operating systems as well as its messaging system. Any personal information that students share in building their profile or financial information that they share to become a member of the app is kept entirely confidential! You can find other single students online and not have to worry about your information in jeopardy.
Is It Easy to Find Dates in College?
It depends on who you are and what you are looking for in the dating experience. With college dating apps, it is much easier to find singles that are looking for the same kind of relationship you are looking for. You use a dating app that targets a specific demographic. If you want to find casual dates, you will find them with Zoosk. If you are into finding something that lasts and is long-term, eHarmony won’t let you down. It can be easy to find dates in college using these apps. You need to be smart about how you do it.
How Do the Best Dating Apps for College Students Work to Find Matches?
Each college dating app is unique in how it does its matchmaking. eHarmony is famous for its extensive questionnaire and 32 dimensions of compatibility testing and creates matches accordingly. Zoosk has its “SmartPick” feature that analyzes the users’ “type,” as well as its advanced search filters that allow the user to break down their matches according to distance, appearance, behavior, and such. Feel free to read some college dating app reviews for more information on this subject! It will all come down to the site you use.
Do Dating Sites for College Students Have Any Special Features Designed Specifically for Students?
There are no features at these sites designed with college students in mind. Still, a handful of features are conducive to those who are going to college, living on campus, and handling a college workload. For example, Zoosk has a carousel-style form of finding singles on its app that is super reminiscent of the swipe-style one would find on an app like Tinder.
Can I Use More Than One of the Best College Dating Apps?
Creating accounts at more than one of the college dating apps we recommend is fine. There is an issue if you make more than one account at one site. But we highly recommend joining as many college dating apps as you can handle. That will increase the scope of your search and find you many more matches than you could with one dating app alone.