Case Study: University of Alberta achieves rapid emergency alerts and 75% push opt-in with Airship

Keeping Students and Staff Safe with Emergency Push Notifications

The University of Alberta, one of Canada’s largest public research universities with four campuses and over 36,000 students, needed a simple way to connect people with academic resources, campus maps and transit information while rapidly notifying the community during emergencies. With students and staff juggling classes, commutes and campus life, the university sought a reliable channel to cut through the clutter and deliver time‑sensitive alerts.

The university’s mobile app, deployed across 73,000 devices, uses Urban Airship push notifications to deliver emergency alerts and campus updates, achieving a 75% opt‑in rate. In urgent situations—such as a gas leak requiring immediate evacuation—push messages reached users in seconds and generated spikes in app opens, proving more effective than email or social media. The platform also provides engagement analytics, helping the university monitor app usage and improve student services.

University of Alberta

John Komick

Team Lead, App Development