Dating Apps for College Students
- by
- Matt Marino
- | Last Updated:
- January 23, 2023
If you are currently attending college somewhere or plan on going to college in the near future, you best be up to speed on our favorite dating apps for college students! After all, college is a time you are busy learning to become an adult and handle a demanding workload. It is a busy season of life. Apps for college dating are a great resource for students who are looking for relationships at school but need to fit it somewhere in their busy schedules!
| Rank | Dating App | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|
| #1 |  Zoosk |
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| #2 |  Match.com |
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| #3 |  eHarmony |
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In our review of the best dating apps for college students, we will show you dating sites that are ideal for finding singles who are interested in going on dates or starting a relationship. There is even one site that is perfect for finding true love! We will even show you where to sign up for a new account or take advantage of some free trial opportunities!
Top 3 College Dating Apps
#1: Zoosk - Best All Around for College Dating
Zoosk Fast Facts
- Year Started: 2007
- Best For: Finding students looking for casual dates or hookups and students who want serious relationships
- Highest Density of Users: United States 83.9%
- Gender Ratio: 45% men and 52% women
- Current Members: 40 million
- Monthly Visitors: 12 million
- Matchmaking Process: Advanced search filters and the “SmartPick” feature which analyzes users’ type
- Membership Pricing: Starts at $12.50 a month
- Free Trial: Yes
Far and away, Zoosk is our best dating app for college students! Many of the users on this dating site are in their 20s and it is ideal for finding singles who want to hook up or simply go on casual dates. There are around 40 million active users and there are 3 million messages sent between users each and every day! The pool of candidates to draw from is deep and wide when you use Zoosk!
While this is a terrific app for setting up casual dates and get-togethers, there is the chance for college students to find love with like minded students. It is definitely not Zoosk’s forte, but it has happened! It also helps that the men-to-women ratio at the site is split at near 50/50. All in all, Zoosk is one of the best dating apps for college students to be using!
Cool Features for Students
- Log in through Facebook and your likes will sync automatically.
- Carousel-style dating acts like the swipe-style at Tinder.
- “SmartPick” feature analyzes preferences in your interactions with other profiles to establish your type.
- “See who’s online” tab is a great feature for finding singles who will message right back.
- Video verification is used to show that users look like their profile picture.
#2: Match - Best for Undecided Students
Match Fast Facts
- Year Started: 1995
- Best For: Finding students who want casual dates OR serious relationships
- Highest Density of Users: United States 81.4%
- Gender Ratio: 49% men and 51% women
- Current Members: 30 million
- Monthly Visitors: 15 million
- Matchmaking Process: Personality and compatibility testing along with your personal dating preferences
- Membership Pricing: Starts at $18.99 a month
- Free Trial: Yes
When we say that Match is the best college dating app for undecided students, we are not talking about that student who takes a wide range of classes for the first two years and finally declares their major well into junior year. Match is a great dating site for students who do not know if they want to stick to casual dating or finally commit and get into a serious relationship.
Match is equally adept at creating good matches for casual dates and good matches for serious relationships. Once the site has done its work, it is up to the couple to decide what kind of relationship they want! Match is one of the giants in the online dating industry and its 30 million active members make this one a desirable draw for college students looking to meet a variety of different singles!
Features for College Students Dating Online
- “Missed Connections” feature allows users to meet matches that they may have crossed paths with in real life.
- Match Events are real-life events that Match members can attend throughout the year including mixers and trips.
- Match Phone is a feature that allows you to talk and text with another person from a private number, so you do not have to give out your personal number.
- “New Discover” is like the Tinder swipe-style form of dating but also includes a mini-profile of all singles featured.
- Reverse Matching allows you to see matches that are looking for someone just like you.
#3: eHarmony - Best for Students Seeking True Love
eHarmony Fast Facts
- Year Started: 2000
- Best For: Finding students who want serious dates, serious relationships, or long-term commitments
- Highest Density of Users: United States 92.1%
- Gender Ratio: 51% men and 49% women
- Current Members: 16 million
- Monthly Visitors: 4 million
- Matchmaking Process: Compatibility Matching System (32-Dimensions of Compatibility) and the Personality Quiz
- Membership Pricing: Starts at $35.90 a month
- Free Trial: Yes
When you are looking for a casual date, check out Zoosk. If you like going on dates but are also open to a serious relationship, Match is the ideal dating app to be using. If you want to find a serious relationship or true love at college, there is no better option than eHarmony! In fact, it is one of the best dating apps for college students looking for a meaningful, compatible relationship that will go beyond the four walls of the school.
One of the best features of eHarmony is its members’ ability to view unlimited matches on any given day. Combine this with their active user base of 16 million which is evenly split between men and women, and you have a winning combination! The possibilities are truly endless with the eHarmony dating pool. College students can be sure of finding true love in the midst of term papers, study groups, and on-campus events.
Additional Value for Grads
- Members of eHarmony can get unlimited matches each day they use the app!
- eHarmony allows you to see who has browsed your profile.
- Use the incognito mode to browse profiles anonymously.
- Interactive icebreakers are available to members for kickstarting a conversation with other singles.
- Video dates are available to members allowing them to have face-to-face conversations with their matches.
Alternative Dating Sites for College Students
Our top three dating apps for college students are great options for finding dates, relationships, and love with other college singles, but they might not be an ideal fit for you personally. You could be looking for someone special who shares the same faith as you. You could be a non-traditional student who is a single parent and looking for someone in a similar position. Whatever your situation, we have come prepared with some backup dating apps that might strike your fancy!
| Best For | Dating Sites | A Must-Read | Grad Students |
|
Full Review of Elite Singles |
|---|---|---|
| Single Parents or Divorcees |
|
Best Dating Apps for Single Parents |
| Religious College Students |
|
Top Christian Dating Apps |
| Polyamorous College Students |
|
Dating Sites for Polyamorous Men and Women |
Ways to Succeed in Using College Dating Apps
t is one thing to simply use college dating apps. Anyone can do that. It is quite another thing to use the apps and succeed in the end! It doesn’t matter if you are looking for someone to spend the rest of your life with and you are looking to score as many dates as you can in between classes. Anyone who uses dating apps wants to be successful in their pursuits! Here are 5 great ways to ensure that you succeed!
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 not appropriate for your needs! Take it from us. You will be a lot more successful in your mission when you know what you want.
When you go to create your dating app profile, make sure you use a good, 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 it is that you are looking for in an online dating experience. Your honesty and sincerity here will go a long way.
If you want to be successful in getting frequent 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 that 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.
Send a good first message to your match that leaves a lasting impression. Be honest about who are and show sincerity in getting to know them. Do not use tired cliches or pickup lines in order to impress them and avoid any sort of 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 know of them in their online profile. As mentioned earlier, have some great questions lined up and ready to go to show them you read their profile information.
Be sure to also read 9 Important Tips for the First Date and 10 Online Dating Mistakes to Avoid When Sending Messages.
Signing up at more than one of the college dating apps we recommend is a great way to expand your search and increase your exposure in the dating market. This can ultimately save you time in finding the right singles but also help you discover a wide assortment of diverse people.
3 Best Tips for Using College Dating Apps
The best dating apps for college students are perfect for finding dates or true love in the midst of 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 for keeping yourself safe in the process! Follow our 3 best tips for using these college dating apps and you will steer clear of trouble and avoid some potential headaches!
#1: Keep Your Private Information Private
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 private 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 who is “in a crisis.” Many of these apps have online dating scammers who look to do you harm. Never give out bank information or share your personal phone number or email address.
#2: Identify Scammers by the Words They Use
Oftentimes, 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 really 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.
#3: Take Advantage of Free Trials
College can be a big expense and many students do not have a lot of spare money lying around. 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.
If you cannot find a college dating app that works into your personal budget, take advantage of a free trial account! You will have limited functionality and fewer features, but many free trials still allow you to send messages and view who matched with!
Dating Apps for College Students FAQ
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. And then there is the chance that you are a single parent who is attending college part-time or online. And in that case, we would recommend a site like SingleParentMeet or NextLove.
Yes, each of the college dating apps we recommend in this review is completely secure and safe for college students to use as they look for dates, hookups, or true love. Any personal information that students share in order to build their profile or financial information that they share in order to become a member of the app is kept completely confidential! Each site uses SSL encrypted connections for their operating systems as well as their messaging system. You can find other single students online and not have to worry about your information is in jeopardy.
It really 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 simply use a dating app that targets a specific demographic. If you want to find casual dates, you will certainly 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 really easy to find dates in college using these apps. You just need to be smart about how you do it.
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. It will all come down to the site you use. Do not be afraid to read some college dating apps reviews for more information on this subject!
There are no features at these sites that were designed with college students specifically in mind but there are a handful of features that are helpful and conducive to those who are going to college, living on campus, and handling a college workload.
For example, Match has a Missed Connections feature that allows students to connect with singles they might have run across in real life on campus. 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.
This will depend on the dating app you end up using. Zoosk’s starting price begins at $7.50 per month. Match starts at $21.84 per month and eHarmony’s monthly rate begins at $35.90. If you are looking for affordability and are alright with going on casual dates or hooking up, we highly recommend trying out Zoosk!
Check out Cost of Dating Apps and Sites in 2022.
There is nothing wrong with creating accounts at more than one of the college dating apps we recommend. There is an issue if you create more than one account at one site. But we highly recommend joining as many college dating apps as you can handle. That will really increase the scope of your search and find you a lot more matches than you could with one dating app alone.