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Works with screen readers
Works with the screen reader on every phone, and follows Apple and Google's guidelines, so students who navigate by voice or touch aren't left out.
New student programs that help students feel like they belong.
The first few weeks on campus are critical for a student's success over the next 4 years. Help students to settle in, and feel supported from day one, with your university's own mobile app.
The Only Event App Built For Higher Ed
Guidebook was a great solution because it helped students customize their own schedule, get connected to other offices on campus, and connect to each other. Right away it felt like the right fit.
Cameron Hill
Former Associate Director of New Student Programs, NC State
NC State University
The complete new student journey, in one app
One app supports them through the new student journey, so no one feels unsupported or lost
Orientation
Where they start finding their place
Orientation is a new student's first real signal about what this school will feel like. Give them their schedule, their group, and their questions answered before they've set foot on campus.
Move in
A key in their hand, a map in their pocket
Parking zones, check-in stations, and dorm locations live in one place. Families stop circling the block and start unpacking the car.
Welcome week
The week they stop being strangers
Groups, events, and who to ask information help students find their people in the first week, not the first month.
Engage your Campus with a Mobile App
A short guide to running the whole student journey in one app. No fluff, just what works.
for higher ed
Campus
Playbook
A practical guide to building a connected campus experience.
Free playbook
The Mobile App Playbook for Universities
Students decide if they belong long before they set foot on campus. This playbook shows how to win them over from the first visit through graduation.
- Grow enrollment and boost recruitment
- Increase belonging and retention
- Run every event from one branded app
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Everything that keeps a new student from feeling lost
Events rarely go exactly to plan, there's always surprises. Your app can stop a change of plan becoming a bad experience for students.
Starting in 2023, UNLV made the bold decision to go completely paperless for their week-long required orientation serving over 5,000 students.
What began as a cost-saving measure to eliminate printing evolved into a comprehensive digital student experience tool.
Accessible for every student on campus
Accessibility isn't an add-on. Guidebook is built so every student can find their way, read their schedule, and stay connected, whatever tools they rely on to use their phone.
The results campus teams actually see
Indiana Tech more than doubled their student yield, cut costs by nearly a third, and reduced staff admin time by 90%. The numbers tell a story your director will want to hear.
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Guidebook has become the heartbeat of our campus communication
VP of Enrollment, Indiana Tech
105%
Yield increase
at Indiana Tech
29%
Cost reduction
saved annually
98%
Student adoption
in week one
DATA THAT STAYS IN SYNC
Your Slate records and in-app activity stay in sync.
Student records flow from Slate into the app. Engagement flows back. No double entry, no manual imports - both tools stay on the data you already trust.
Activity & engagement
Events & registrations
Actionable data
App activity feeds back into Slate for outreach.
Always Up to Date
A change in Slate shows in the app instantly.
Data You Can Trust
Encrypted and protected at every step of the flow.
No double entry
Update once. Both tools stay on the same records.
resources
Make every new student feel like they belong.
What works, what fails and how you can excel in the education space
75% of the top US colleges use Guidebook
See how real campus teams put it to work
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University brings orientation to life with Bulldog’s First Bite, a Guidebook-powered app that welcomes new students with everything they need in one place.
Inside the app, students can:
- Explore session-specific schedules and interactive campus maps.
- Access handbooks, directories, and key campus resources.
- Connect with campus culture through photos and social feeds.
- Stay organized with built-in notes and real-time notifications.
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University brings orientation to life with Bulldog’s First Bite, a Guidebook-powered app that welcomes new students with everything they need in one place.
Inside the app, students can:
- Explore session-specific schedules and interactive campus maps.
- Access handbooks, directories, and key campus resources.
- Connect with campus culture through photos and social feeds.
- Stay organized with built-in notes and real-time notifications.
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University brings orientation to life with Bulldog’s First Bite, a Guidebook-powered app that welcomes new students with everything they need in one place.
Inside the app, students can:
- Explore session-specific schedules and interactive campus maps.
- Access handbooks, directories, and key campus resources.
- Connect with campus culture through photos and social feeds.
- Stay organized with built-in notes and real-time notifications.
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University brings orientation to life with Bulldog’s First Bite, a Guidebook-powered app that welcomes new students with everything they need in one place.
Inside the app, students can:
- Explore session-specific schedules and interactive campus maps.
- Access handbooks, directories, and key campus resources.
- Connect with campus culture through photos and social feeds.
- Stay organized with built-in notes and real-time notifications.
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FAQs
Can we make changes during orientation?
Of course. You can make and publish changes anytime that go live in seconds, from your desktop or from the app itself with our mobile admin tools. Jump in, edit, and hit publish. If a schedule or activity changes during the day, you can send a notification to every student straight from your phone.
We're a small team and not very technical, can we still build this?
Yes. If you can send an email or put together a few slides, you can build a Guidebook app. No developers and no code required. It's all drag and drop. Most of our customers wouldn't describe themselves as especially technical, and teams of one or two regularly run orientation for thousands of students.
Can each student get a personalized schedule?
Yes. Students build their own schedule and pick the sessions and tracks that matter to them, so every student gets the orientation that fits them, whether they're transferring in or starting their first year. You can also assign schedules to students yourself depending on their school, major, or other grouping.
How do you support accessibility?
Accessibility is built in. We've worked directly with accessibility specialists at the College Board, AUCD, and Knowbility to make sure Guidebook can be navigated with your phone's screen reader. We build our apps to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, with Section 508 and EN 301 549 requirements in mind, and we publish an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) per the VPAT so your team can review exactly what's supported.
Do you offer real support?
Yes. We have an award winning customer support team who are known for fast responses and for acting as a genuine partner to your team.
Will this help new students feel like they belong?
That's exactly what it's built for. When students can see their schedule, find their way, and know who to ask from day one, the first few weeks feel less overwhelming and more like a place they fit. Guidebook puts all of that in one place so no one gets lost in the crowd.
How do new students get the app before orientation?
Once you have published your app, you get a custom landing page and a unique QR code to drop into welcome emails, orientation confirmations, social media, and signage. Guidebook also gives you email, poster, and social templates, so getting new students to download before orientation is simple. You can also direct people to your app store listing directly.
Does the app work offline?
Most of what students need, schedules, maps, and lists, works even without a signal, so a campus dead zone during an activity won't leave anyone stranded. Features like photos and messaging return once they reconnect.
Can one app cover orientation, move in day, welcome week, and everything after?
Yes, and it's one of the most common setups for new student programs. One branded app can hold unlimited guides, so orientation and everything that follows all live under your institution's brand. Students download once and find every experience inside.
What happens if students and families don’t want to download the app?
Not everyone can download an app, we get it. Those individuals can access your app content through their phone’s browser or desktop computer on Guidebook Web, so everyone can feel connected to the experience.