For Colleges & Universities

Campus alerts students actually read

Enrollment deadlines buried in promo tabs. Financial aid notices lost in spam. Emergency lockdown alerts that arrive 20 minutes late. Blasts delivers critical campus communications through a dedicated inbox students opted into during orientation โ€” no app downloads, no email filters.

The campus communication crisis

14%
average open rate for university mass emails
$38K
annual cost of SMS alerts for a 10,000-student campus
23%
of students miss registration deadlines due to email overload

Built for higher education

๐ŸŽ“

Registration & Enrollment

Course registration opens, enrollment deadlines, waitlist updates. Students see it immediately โ€” not 3 days later in promo.

๐Ÿ“Š

Grades & Academic Alerts

"Your Fall 2026 grades are posted." Academic probation notices, advisor holds, graduation audit results โ€” delivered reliably.

๐Ÿ’ฐ

Financial Aid & Billing

FAFSA deadlines, scholarship awards, tuition due dates, refund notifications. The notices students can't afford to miss.

๐Ÿšจ

Campus Safety & Emergency

Active threat lockdowns, severe weather shelter-in-place, building evacuations. Seconds matter โ€” email isn't fast enough.

๐Ÿซ

Campus Events & Activities

Career fairs, guest lectures, club meetings, athletic events. Drive attendance with rich HTML invitations + RSVP links.

๐Ÿฅ

Health & Wellness

Vaccination deadlines, health center hours, counseling availability, COVID/flu updates. Wellness notices that reach every student.

Rich HTML financial aid alert example

This is what a real university financial aid blast looks like โ€” fully formatted with merge tags

๐Ÿ“ฑ Live Preview โ€” Student's Screen Blast Inbox
๐Ÿ’ป API Call โ€” Batch Financial Aid Notification
# Batch financial aid award notifications
curl -X POST "https://api.blasts.app/api/v1/partner/messages/batch" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
  -H "X-Blasts-Timestamp: $(date +%s000)" \
  -H "X-Blasts-Signature: sha256=..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "batch_name": "finaid_awards_2026_27",
  "body_html": "<div style=\"font-family:sans-serif\">
    <div style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,
         #7c3aed,#6d28d9);color:#fff;
         padding:24px;text-align:center\">
      <h1>๐ŸŽ“ Your Aid Package Is Ready</h1>
      <p>Westfield State University</p>
    </div>
    <div style=\"padding:24px\">
      <div style=\"background:#f5f3ff;
           border:2px solid #c4b5fd;
           border-radius:12px;padding:20px;
           text-align:center\">
        <h2 style=\"color:#6d28d9\">
          Total Award</h2>
        <div style=\"font-size:42px;
             font-weight:900;color:#7c3aed\">
          {{total_award}}</div>
        <p>Academic Year 2026โ€“2027</p>
      </div>
      <p>Hi {{first_name}},</p>
      <p>Your financial aid package for
      {{term}} is ready for review.</p>
      <p>โฐ <strong>Accept by
      {{deadline}}</strong></p>
      <a href=\"https://portal.wsu.edu/finaid\"
         style=\"background:#7c3aed;color:#fff;
         padding:12px 32px;border-radius:8px;
         display:inline-block;font-weight:700\">
         View Award Letter โ†’</a>
    </div>
  </div>",
  "body_plain": "Hi {{first_name}}, your {{term}} financial aid package of {{total_award}} is ready. Accept by {{deadline}} at portal.wsu.edu/finaid",
  "recipients": [
    {
      "to_email": "jsmith@student.wsu.edu",
      "merge": {
        "first_name": "Jessica",
        "total_award": "$18,750",
        "term": "2026โ€“2027",
        "deadline": "August 15"
      }
    },
    {
      "to_email": "mgarcia@student.wsu.edu",
      "merge": {
        "first_name": "Marcus",
        "total_award": "$12,400",
        "term": "2026โ€“2027",
        "deadline": "August 15"
      }
    }
  ]
}'

# Response:
{
  "ok": true,
  "batch_id": "bat_x9k2m...",
  "accepted": 2,
  "rejected": 0
}

Why Blasts beats campus email & SMS

Campus EmailSMS / Rave AlertBlasts
Students actually open it โœ— 14% open rate โœ“ But high opt-out โœ“ Dedicated inbox
Rich formatting โœ“ Often clipped by Gmail โœ— 160 chars โœ“ Full HTML + CSS
File attachments โœ“ Often blocked/stripped โœ— No โœ“ Syllabi, forms, PDFs
Cost per message Low but invisible $0.02โ€“0.05 per segment Fraction of SMS
FERPA-friendly consent โœ— Implicit delivery โœ“ Opt-in required โœ“ Explicit enrollment
Delivery confirmation โœ— Unreliable โœ— Carrier-dependent โœ“ Webhook read receipts
Personalization โœ“ With mail merge โœ— No โœ“ {{name}}, {{major}}, etc.

Set up during orientation

1. Get API Keys

Register at blasts.app. Test free with sandbox keys (pk_test_*) โ€” 100 sends/day, no cost.

2. Enroll During Orientation

Add the enrollment link to your orientation checklist or student portal. One click in Chrome/Edge โ€” no app download needed.

3. Connect Your SIS

One REST API call from Banner, PeopleSoft, Workday Student, or your custom portal sends the blast. Batch up to 500 students per call.

4. Track Engagement

Webhook callbacks confirm delivery + read receipts. Know exactly which students saw critical deadlines. Full audit trail.

More campus examples

๐Ÿšจ Campus Emergency Alert โ€” Urgent Priority

# Shelter-in-place โ€” all enrolled students, urgent priority
curl -X POST "https://api.blasts.app/api/v1/partner/messages/batch" \
  -d '{
  "batch_name": "emergency_shelter_2026_07_21",
  "body_html": "<div style=\"background:#dc2626;color:#fff;padding:24px;text-align:center;font-family:sans-serif\"><h1>๐Ÿšจ SHELTER IN PLACE</h1><p style=\"font-size:18px\">Severe thunderstorm warning with confirmed tornado activity. Move to the lowest interior room immediately.</p><p><strong>DO NOT leave buildings until all-clear is issued.</strong></p><p style=\"font-size:14px;opacity:.8\">Campus Police: (555) 234-5678 ยท Emergency: 911</p></div>",
  "body_plain": "SHELTER IN PLACE: Severe thunderstorm/tornado warning. Move to lowest interior room NOW. Do not leave buildings. Campus Police: (555) 234-5678",
  "priority": "urgent",
  "recipients": [ /* all enrolled students */ ]
}'

๐Ÿ“Š Grade Posting Notification โ€” Single Send

# Notify a student their grades are posted
curl -X POST "https://api.blasts.app/api/v1/partner/messages/send" \
  -d '{
  "to_email": "jsmith@student.wsu.edu",
  "body_html": "<div style=\"font-family:sans-serif;padding:20px\"><h2 style=\"color:#7c3aed\">๐Ÿ“Š Fall 2026 Grades Posted</h2><p>Hi Jessica, your grades for <strong>Fall 2026</strong> are now available on the student portal.</p><p>Term GPA: <strong style=\"color:#059669;font-size:1.3em\">3.72</strong></p><a href=\"https://portal.wsu.edu/grades\" style=\"background:#7c3aed;color:#fff;padding:10px 24px;border-radius:6px;display:inline-block;font-weight:700\">View Grades โ†’</a></div>",
  "body_plain": "Hi Jessica, your Fall 2026 grades are posted. Term GPA: 3.72. View at portal.wsu.edu/grades"
}'

๐ŸŽ“ Registration Deadline โ€” Campaign

# Spring registration deadline campaign
curl -X POST "https://api.blasts.app/api/v1/partner/campaigns" \
  -d '{
  "campaign_name": "spring_2027_registration",
  "body_html": "<div style=\"font-family:sans-serif;padding:20px\"><h2>๐ŸŽ“ Spring 2027 Registration Opens Tomorrow</h2><p>Hi {{first_name}}, your registration window opens <strong>{{reg_date}} at {{reg_time}}</strong> based on your {{credits}} earned credits.</p><p>Your advisor hold: <strong style=\"color:#059669\">{{hold_status}}</strong></p><a href=\"https://portal.wsu.edu/register\" style=\"background:#7c3aed;color:#fff;padding:10px 24px;border-radius:6px;display:inline-block;font-weight:700\">Plan Your Schedule โ†’</a></div>",
  "body_plain": "Hi {{first_name}}, Spring 2027 registration opens {{reg_date}} at {{reg_time}}. Credits: {{credits}}. Hold: {{hold_status}}. Plan at portal.wsu.edu/register",
  "recipients": [
    { "to_email": "jsmith@student.wsu.edu", "merge": { "first_name": "Jessica", "reg_date": "Nov 4", "reg_time": "8:00 AM", "credits": "92", "hold_status": "Cleared โœ“" } },
    { "to_email": "mgarcia@student.wsu.edu", "merge": { "first_name": "Marcus", "reg_date": "Nov 5", "reg_time": "10:00 AM", "credits": "64", "hold_status": "โš ๏ธ Advisor hold" } }
  ]
}'

Works with your campus systems

REST API integrates with any Student Information System

Ellucian Banner

Trigger blasts from registration events

PeopleSoft

Financial aid and enrollment automation

Workday Student

Grade posting and billing webhooks

Canvas / Blackboard

Supplement LMS notifications

Custom SIS

Any system that can make HTTP calls

Transform student communications

Get your free sandbox key and send your first campus blast in under 10 minutes.