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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-06-26
Create Student Messages

Create Student Messages

  • Configure the
    Student Message Event
     business process and security policy in the Campus Engagement functional area.
  • Configure the delivery settings for notifications of the
    Student
     type to include a routing rule for push notifications on the
    Edit Tenant Setup - Notifications
     task.
  • Configure Workday to manage and track messages that you send. See Steps: Set Up Campus Engagement.
  • Set up Notification Designer for users who want to use Notification Designer templates as an alternative to email templates. See Steps: Set Up Security for Notification Designer.
  • Set up Workday Messaging to send SMS messages to students. SeeSteps: Set Up Workday Messaging.
  • Security:
    • Manage: Sending Student Engagement Items
       domain in the Campus Engagement functional area.
    • Set Up: Engagement Category Security Segments
       domain in the Campus Engagement functional area.
You can create and distribute student messages to communicate to students, prospects, or any of their proxies.
You can use student messages in:
  • Ad hoc communication with a student prospect or matriculated student.
  • Engagement plans.
  • Recruiting events, such as:
    • Email invitations.
    • Event cancellations.
    • Registration confirmations.
To create emails for your assigned academic units, you can:
As you decide between using an email template or a Notification Designer template to create your message, consider:
Consideration
Email Template
Notification Designer Template
Access
You can use email templates as long as you have access to Workday.
You might need to take additional steps to enable this feature depending on your organization's subscription service agreement. For more information, see this Community article.
Customization
You can use an email template for a
Message Type
 of either
Plain Text or HTML
 or
Rich Text
.
You can customize a
Plain Text or HTML
 message by adding HTML content in the text field. When you create a
Rich Text
 message, you can:
  • Bold, italicize, and underline text.
  • Create bulleted lists and heading levels.
  • Personalize each individual message by using merge fields.
  • Prompt responses from students directly to complete a specific task in Workday by inserting
    Call to Action
     buttons.
You can use a Notification Designer template for a
Message Type
 of either
Rich Text
 or
Composer Format
.
When you create a
Composer Format
 message, you can use all the customization tools that come with the
Rich Text
 message type and also:
  • Create numbered lists to insert into your message.
  • Customize HEX colors to match the branding of your institution.
  • Display content conditionally depending on the recipient of your message.
  • Insert images, prebuilt icons, and social media tags.
You can't export student messages to Excel or view a PDF version if you use the
Composer Format
.
Preview
You can send a test engagement item to preview how the final version of your message looks.
When you create a
Composer Format
 message, you can preview how your message will look while composing the body of the message in real time.
To ensure that Workday can email student messages, verify that the recipients have a primary email address stored in Workday. Likewise, to ensure that Workday can send push notifications, verify that the recipients have a mobile number stored in Workday.
  1. Access the
    Create Student Message
     task.
    To copy an approved message instead, select
    Engagement
    Copy
    from the related actions menu of an existing message. Workday copies some information, which you can change.
  2. As you set up your student message, consider:
    Option Description
    Name
    Workday displays the message name on the History profile group of a student profile after you send the message.
    Category
    To send messages of a certain category, you need access to its segment-based security group. For more information, see Reference: Engagement Categories and Usages.
    Calls to action are currently available in these student message categories:
    • Academic Advising
    • Financial Aid
    • Student Financials
    • Student Records
    You can't use push notifications for Admissions and Student Recruiting categories.
    Academic Unit
    You can include the message in engagement plans and recruiting events for the selected academic unit and its subordinates.
    Workday refers to the superior and subordinate relationships of the academic units, not to the academic unit hierarchy.
    Contact Methods
    You can select:
    • Email
    • Mobile Push Notifications
    • SMS
    You can only select a
    Contact Method
    of
    SMS
     for messages with a
    Use For
    of
    Plans and Ad Hoc
    .
    You might need to take additional steps to enable this feature depending on your organization's subscription service agreement. For more information, see this Community article.
    Email Format
    • Composer Format
      : Enables advanced text formatting, conditional content, and template preview during message body creation.
    • Plain Text or HTML
      : Enables HTML content.
    • Rich Text
      : Enables basic text formatting, personalization with merge fields, and adding
      Call to Action
       buttons.
    Workday recommends that you select
    Rich Text
     or
    Composer Format
     when creating emails. These formats give you more control over how your message appears to your audience.
    You can't export student messages to Excel or view a PDF version if you use the
    Composer Format
    .
  3. (Optional) Select a new template for your student message from the
    Override Email Template
     prompt.
    Student messages with a
    Contact Method
     of
    Email
     automatically use a default template.
    To override the default template, you must set the new template as active in either the:
    • Student engagement category on the
      Maintain Email Templates
       task.
    • Corresponding student message category in the
      Maintain Notification Templates
       task.
    If your message includes a call to action, verify that the email template includes a row with a
    Dynamic Content
     option of
    Email URL
    .
  4. (Optional) If you choose to compose a message with a
    Contact Method
     of
    Email
    , consider:
    Option Description
    From Display Name
    This display name can be different than the actual sender.
    Reply To
    The email address that you want the recipient to send replies to. You can only enter 1 email address.
    Subject, Body
    You can personalize your message for your recipients by adding message content that displays conditionally.
    To add condition rules to your content, highlight the paragraphs that will display conditionally and click
    Insert Condition
    . You can use the
    Create Student Condition Rule
     task to configure your own condition rules.
  5. (Optional) From the
    Call to Action
     prompt, select the relevant action.
    Including a call to action in your student message enables you to prompt responses from students directly to complete a specific task in Workday. You can include calls to action in student messages with a
    Message Type
     of
    Composer Format
     or
    Rich Text
    .
  6. (Optional) In the
    Duplicate Delivery Settings
     section, select:
    • Send per Plan
       to send the email to all audience members, even if they receive this same email from another plan.
    • Send per Target in Audience
       to send this email multiple times to audience members, based on the number of times they display in the engagement plan audience.
      Example: A student applies for 2 programs within the same engagement plan. Workday sends this email to the student for each program that they applied to.
    You can only apply these settings when you create a student message using rich text and select
    Plans and Ad Hoc
     or
    Plans - ISIR
     from the
    Use For
     prompt.
The message has a status of
In Progress
 until you approve the message.
You can use the
Find Student Engagement Items
 report to access the message.
Send a test engagement email to yourself or another recipient.