Launching mid-August 2026 🚀
We know that one of the biggest predictors of whether an accepted student becomes an enrolled student is if they already feel like they belong.
If you've been with us for a while, you'll know that the ongoing evolution of Unibuddy Community has always been about fostering belonging and helping students to feel that your institution is the place for them.
That's why we're introducing Social Matching in Community. Social Matching goes even further to help students build meaningful connections before they arrive on campus - by introducing them to other students with similar interests and goals. Every week, each student will receive three suggested matches, making it easy to start conversations and build friendships naturally throughout the pre-arrival period, and beyond.
What is Social Matching?
Students in your Community will receive three personalised matches each week.
Matches are based on information that your students have already shared in their profile, including:
Their hobbies and interests
Their course / subject of study
Their nationality
Students can choose who they'd like to connect with and continue conversations through direct messages. So many students are excited to join their university Community, but starting a chat in a large public hub can feel intimidating. We've covered the rise of the digital 'lurker' in previous resources, and how your Community can best serve all sorts of users - from confident sharers to peripheral participators.
Social Matching supports all users by removing the pressure of introducing yourself in a public space and instead creating smaller, more personal opportunities to connect.
This reflects the messaging habits of today's students, who are increasingly comfortable - and really expect - to move conversations into DM's once they've found people they relate to.
The result is the best of both worlds:
Spaces continue to act as your hubs for courses, accommodation options such as Halls of Residence, and hobbies or societies.
Direct messaging remains the place where students develop genuine friendships and support networks, with Social Matching helping students to find each other.
Even students who prefer to quietly browse your Community can continue benefiting from the information you share publicly in Updates and To-Do's, while still having opportunities to build meaningful peer connections.
What can you do to help students find each other?
Social Matching will be available to all students who have joined your Community as it launches in mid August. If you have invited offer holders who haven't yet accepted their invitation, this is a great time to reach out again.
If you use the Private Invite tool, this quick Loom video explains how to re-invite those who haven't yet joined.
If you send your own comms with the shareable invite URL/QR code, you will likely have your own data on who has joined and who hasn't. You're welcome to use this invite copy to re-invite your students.
For many students, the opportunity to meet people like them before they arrive may be all the encouragement they need to join your Community!
Recommendations
To help students get the most from Social Matching, we recommend:
Encouraging students to complete their Community profile, including their interests, to improve the quality of their matches.
Re-inviting offer holders who haven't yet joined your Community so they can begin making connections before enrolment.
Promoting Community during key moments: including offer acceptance, accommodation communications and pre-arrival emails.
Together Spaces, Social Matching, Updates and To-Do's create a more engaging pre-arrival experience - combining trusted university information with authentic peer connections that help students feel they already belong before they even get set foot on your campus.