Instagram has launched a student directory that lets college students add their school to their profile and browse a list of verified classmates. The feature is available to students in the United States who complete verification through the UNiDAYS service. Instagram says the directory will make it easier to find classmates and connect with others on campus.
To add a school, students will tap Add School on their profile and follow the verification steps. Once verified, the student can choose who can see the school banner on their profile. Students can browse the full school list or filter by graduation year to find peers in their cohort. The company designed the flow to be optional so that students can control whether they appear in the directory.
The launch follows a similar move by TikTok, which released a Campus Verification feature last week. Both companies partner with UNiDAYS or use university credentials to confirm enrollment. The new features echo the early campus-centric model used by social networks in the past while adapting verification to modern privacy systems.
Privacy and safety remain central concerns for educators and parents. Instagram offers controls for location sharing and has a Schools Partnership program to speed up moderation for reports made by school accounts. Students should review settings before adding school information and should not enable optional location sharing unless they are confident in their privacy choices.
Instagram student directory maintains the privacy and enrollment verifications of the students, but it also helps students connect with one another and form friendships on and off campus. This option is not compulsory, and the student who would rather their school remain as an independent entity in their profile can just refuse to add their school.