Siena's Social Score is #1 in the Nation

Siena's social media game is on lock - and it has the statistics to prove it. The University is now number one in the nation for its Instagram engagement, according to data from Dunroe Social, an industry-specific social media analytics platform that benchmarks Instagram performance across all NCAA Division I colleges and universities.

Siena ranked #2 among all higher education Instagram accounts for engagement in the first quarter of this year. By the second quarter, it pulled into the #1 spot, outperforming Virginia Tech (#2), the University of Iowa (#3), and Michigan State University (#4).

The Dunroe Engagement Score evaluates and ranks social media performance within specific industries like higher education. It measures how effectively an account drives audience interaction, going beyond basic metrics such as likes to assess overall engagement rates, reach, and competitive standing.

Prospective and current students use social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook to research which colleges or universities they might attend, and to stay connected with their campus community once they enroll. Schools use them to build positive relationships with their stakeholders, drive enrollment, and promote their brand. Decisions about what content to feature and when to post it need to be made very strategically.

"Social media content involves a lot more than just taking a picture or producing a short reel and posting," explained Andy Murphy '17, MBA '21, director of marketing (above, left). "Many accounts post and carry on to the next task. For us at Siena, social media is a process that takes relationship building, understanding analytics, capturing content at the right moment at the right time for the right audiences. It's a collaborative approach across skill sets and across teams that makes us stand out as the Number One Instagram account in higher ed."

Track how Siena's Instagram success has grown exponentially over the past three years, thanks to the Saints' top-flight social media team:

June 2025 - May 2026
Views: 7,007,348
Reach: 2,933,971

June 2024 - May 2025
Views: 2,295,811
Reach: 1,210,723

June 2023 - May 2024
Views: 642,661
Reach: 442,188

Emily Furlong '21, assistant director of digital marketing (above, right), runs point on Siena's Instagram account and said it's easy to look at those numbers and think they're simply social media metrics.

"To me, they're a reminder that every post is a chance to connect with someone," she said. "I think one of the reasons our content resonates is because we really understand the people we're creating it for. Whether it's a big campus tradition or an everyday moment, I love finding creative ways to tell those stories in a way that feels authentic to Siena."