With Its Eye on High Schoolers, LinkedIn Announces University Pages Wanting to expand its reach and get users hooked at a younger age, LinkedIn announces a new service targeted towards prospective college students.
Looking to expand its reach, Mountain View, Calif.-based LinkedIn announced a new section called University Pages, a service that allows high schoolers to peruse college profile pages.
The new section will allow prospective students the ability to scope out colleges and suss out its offerings. Users will be able to get updates about university news, ask questions, see how many of the school's alumni are on LinkedIn and check out where graduates are working.
Related: 10 Questions to Ask When Creating Your LinkedIn Company Page
These features will not only come in handy when people are trying to determine the best college fit for their needs but also after they graduate. By gaining access to alumni information, users can reach out to graduates when trying to set up informational interviews, get a foot in the door at a company or possibly a letter of recommendation. As of right now, more than 200 colleges are on board.
The concept of University Pages came after LinkedIn's director of product management Christina Allen noticed her daughter, along with her friends, were having a difficult time getting a complete picture of universities they were interested in.
Related: 3 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Startup
"I knew that hidden in millions of member profiles were powerful insights about the career outcomes of educations from universities around the world," Allen says in a blog post revealing the University Pages initiative. "If harnessed, these insights could provide incredible value for students."
With this move, LinkedIn has lowered its age requirements for using its service. Users living in the U.S. can now register if they are 14, while much of the rest of the world can sign-up if they are 13. The previous minimum age requirement was 18.
The service will be made available September 12.
How might you use LinkedIn's University Page? Let us know in the comments below.
