Marquette University improves to No. 15 nationally for social media engagement

Sept. 5, 2023


MILWAUKEE — Marquette University has once again been recognized in the top 20 nationally for its social media performance, rising four places to No. 15 in social media engagement in Rival IQ’s 2023 Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report.

The report looked at the Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and TikTok accounts for the 364 NCAA Division I colleges and universities between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, and generated an overall engagement ranking for each school that blends total engagement and engagement rates.

The top-ranked colleges and universities on social media have high engagement rates with average or better audience size and posting volumes.

Marquette remained the top-ranked university among peer institutions when compared among the four Division I universities in Wisconsin, the 20 Division I AJCU (Catholic, Jesuit) schools and the 11-school BIG EAST Conference. By platform, the university saw its biggest improvement on X, with the @MarquetteU account rising 26 places to No. 5. Its Facebook presence also jumped into the top 10 at No. 8, a 10-place improvement. The @MarquetteU Instagram account improved 21 places to No. 46 and the relatively new @MarquetteU TikTok account was ranked 130th in the second year Rival IQ has assessed the platform.

“Social media is an incredibly important tool to engage our Marquette community where they are and share the Marquette story in unique and innovative ways,” said Paul Jones, vice president for university relations at Marquette. “We are not just connecting with future students on their platforms, but also with our nearly 120,000 alumni and the rest of a very proud and engaged Marquette community worldwide. To see year over year improvement and standing among all universities is great recognition of the hard work of our social media staff and interns, led by Enrique Torruco, associate director of social media.”

In 2022, Marquette was ranked in the top 20 for the second consecutive year at No. 19 in the Rival IQ’s report. Over the last year, the university saw notable increases in engagement with an over 30% increase in engagements across all platforms and a 9% jump in audience across all platforms. Marquette now has over 66,000 followers on Facebook; 50,100 on X; 45,900 on Instagram; and is approaching 3,500 followers on TikTok, which launched in April 2021.

Rival IQ is a social media analytics toolkit launched in 2012 with a focus on making social media data easier to find, analyze, and act upon for its clients. Rival IQ is a NetBase Quid company.

About Marquette University

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools. Through the formation of hearts and minds, Marquette prepares our 11,100 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional students to lead, excel and serve as agents of positive change. And, we deliver results. Ranked in the top 20% of national universities, Marquette is recognized for its undergraduate teaching, innovation and career preparation as the sixth-best university in the country for job placement. Our focus on student success and immersive, personalized learning experiences encourages students to think critically and engage with the world around them. When students graduate with a Marquette degree, they are truly prepared and called to Be The Difference.


About Kevin Conway

Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of University Relations. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu