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RUB and Jena in a TikTok frenzy: This is how university marketing inspires young people!
The RUB uses TikTok to address prospective students with creative content and to draw attention to offers.
RUB and Jena in a TikTok frenzy: This is how university marketing inspires young people!
On July 29, 2025, the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) launched its own TikTok channel aimed at prospective students. The channel stands out from typical TikTok content such as dances or challenges and instead offers informative videos about study programs, learning tips and offers from the university library. Michaela Wurm, head of student marketing, emphasizes the urgency of reaching potential students through such offers, especially in view of the declining number of students.
The billion-dollar platform has around 1.59 billion monthly users worldwide, making it the fourth most popular social network. In Germany, around 70 percent of 16 to 19 year olds use TikTok, which makes the platform particularly attractive for universities that want to recruit young people. Hubert Hundt, head of university communications at the RUB, is critical of data protection issues and political influence on TikTok, but recognizes the need to use it in order to take advantage of the platform's wide reach.
Students in focus
Since spring 2025, RUB students have been the focus of the new TikTok channel. They act as presenters, contribute their own ideas and create the videos themselves. This concept is intended to help address potential students directly and answer their relevant questions. The approach of addressing the target group through peers is also a strategic move to increase interest in the RUB.
The idea of involving students in the production process is not unique. Similar concepts have been developed by other universities such as the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, which has been actively using TikTok since 2020. Short, informative videos are created there, which also convey essential information about the course in a creative and playful way. The Jena students also play a central role in the video production, which promotes direct exchange and authenticity.
The Role of TikTok in Higher Education
The TikTok app is known for offering a simple interface that makes cutting and pasting text and effects hassle-free. This supports the creation of entertaining explanatory videos in universities and science. Despite Instagram's dominance as the main platform for many universities, a shift towards TikTok is noticeable, particularly among international students from countries such as China and India.
Wurm and her team plan to publish regular posts to continually reach and inform the target group. TikTok videos thrive on a combination of information and a playful approach that allows students to interact with each other and clarify questions directly in new videos. The RUB sees this initiative as a significant step towards strengthening university communication in the digital age and promoting exchange.
Overall, the introduction of the TikTok channel at the RUB shows both the challenges and the opportunities that the social media landscape has in store for universities. It remains to be seen how successful this approach will be among the target group of young prospective students and whether other universities will follow this example.
For more information about RUB's social media activities, please visit news.rub.de. For a deeper dive into using TikTok for student marketing, click gate-germany.de.