Standards are a little bit higher and conversations are a little bit smarter on dating sites for educated singles. That means no more dumbing yourself down for dates and no more fielding an onslaught of grammatically incorrect pickup lines.
Most swiping apps don’t screen for education or intelligence, and that’s to the detriment of the online dating experience. A growing number of college students and single professionals are getting burnt out by mainstream apps that put photos ahead of personal compatibility. These singles are looking for an equal partner who will add to their success and bring value to the relationship. And a Tinder profile strewn with misspellings simply will not do.
If you want an articulate and knowledgeable date, it’s a smart move to look for matches on the following top-rated dating sites.
Match
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review. Our Review »
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Match has been in the online dating business since the early 1990s and has reached over 50 countries. This platform has earned its good reputation by helping highly discerning singles find a perfect match.
The Match algorithm identifies personal compatibility based on a combination of shared interests, demographics, and lifestyle. Members can complete profile fields regarding their education and occupation, and they can set parameters for a match’s education level as well.
According to Match statistics, about 75% of members have gone to college and nearly half of the dating website’s success stories involve a couple getting married.
eharmony
- Relationships: Casual Dates, Deep Relationships
- Match System: Personality test suggests matches
- Our Experts Say: Accounting for 2% of U.S. marriages, eharmony's compatibility-based system and commitment-minded user base are ideal for those seeking a serious relationship. Our Review »
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The founding mission of eharmony was to inspire happy, healthy, and long-lasting relationships. Over two decades later, that spirit still drives the online dating site and app forward.
The eharmony membership begins with a personality test that establishes who you are and what you want in a relationship partner. The quiz asks probing questions and invites individuals to explain their life philosophy so the algorithm can get to the heart of romantic compatibility. Free members can send icebreaker quizzes, profile likes, and some private messages to their matches, and they can upgrade to a subscription plan when they’re ready for a real conversation.
OurTime.com
- Relationships: Dates and Relationships
- Match System: Search by profiles by zip and more
- Our Experts Say: OurTime is well-known in the over-50 dating crowd, particularly because it has a ton of helpful search features and an easy layout. Our Review »
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OurTime has created an online dating space for senior singles who are longing for companionship and love. The membership skews slightly toward single women — there are a particularly high number of widows — and ages range from 50 to 85.
Joining the OurTime community can be a fun and easy way to get back into the dating scene. The platform offers search filters, match suggestions, and private communication tools to facilitate promising connections. Only a premium member can send unlimited messages, so there is built-in security in a person’s inbox.
If desired, users can filter by education and age to make sure only mature and educated professionals show up in the OurTime feed.
4. Academic Singles
Academic Singles is a highly sophisticated dating site that screens all new members to ensure they are authentic. The registration process takes under five minutes, and a brief personality test establishes a baseline for all curated matches.
As its name implies, Academic Singles aims to serve the most well-educated singles in the dating scene. Its members include Ivy League students, single professionals, post-doctorate academics, and other highly intelligent individuals.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect about online dating, but because we were matched on our education and interests it was very easy to chat,” said a 51-year-old woman who met her current partner on Academic Singles. “We took it slowly, but it was worth the wait, and we know we’ve found real love.”
5. EducatedSingles
EducatedSingles maintains an elite dating club and discussion forum in the U.S. and abroad. All members are required to connect through their LinkedIn profile or another professional networking profile. The moderators check these credentials to ensure a fake profile doesn’t slip under the radar.
“We decided to prioritize authenticity over anything else,” the team explained during our interview. “That means we assess each profile carefully before it is published, and some structural elements help us keep this community safe, reliable and trustworthy for all members.”
EducatedSingles is a mobile-friendly dating site with a lot of fun features, including videos and polls. But it does not have an Android or iPhone app, nor is the team planning on creating an app.
Members must have at least a master’s degree to secure entry into EducatedSingles. Additionally, they must enroll in a paid membership if they want to connect with other educated professionals.
6. Sapio
The Sapio dating app has taken a smart approach to online networking. Sapio’s claim to fame is its systemic personality matchmaking system. Its scientific formula promises to get “to the core of people through their lived experiences, heartfelt opinions, and bold passions.”
Through creative prompts and thought-provoking questions, the Sapio dating profile tells a meaningful story about who a single person is and what they hope to find in a potential partner.
“I’m one of those weird people that actually likes to get to know a person’s brain before I start a relationship with or have sex with them,” said an online dater named Nick in a Sapio review. “Sapio puts people’s thoughts and values front and center. They just need a bigger user base.”
7. BAE Chat
BAE Chat is a fast-growing dating app with a diverse population. It uses location-based matching to introduce local singles quickly and effectively. The swiping technology will seem familiar to any experienced online dater, but the virtual gift options and token system is a departure from the norm set by Tinder in 2012.
The beauty of BAE Chat is that it’s for everyone. Its members include single parents, college students, rich men, retired seniors, and other singles from all walks of life.
BAE Chat is currently available as an Android app and mobile-friendly website. The app has a 3.3-star rating on Google Play, and it has been downloaded by over 50,000 users.
8. The League
The League is a high-class dating service for single professionals with discerning tastes. The network offers an ironclad quality assurance. All profiles have been authenticated through LinkedIn, and the moderators actively scan for and remove undesirables.
Single men and women can join The League to raise the caliber of their online matches. The dating site and app allow individuals to set specific dating criteria, and the prospect list only features profiles that meet — or exceed — those expectations.
The League ranks on our list as one of the best dating sites for educated singles. According to the membership stats, over 98% of female users have college degrees, and 39% make six-figure salaries.
9. Hinge
With the motto “designed to be deleted,” Hinge tells singles what it’s all about. This dating app strives to be a relationship app where online conversations lead to lasting love stories.
Hinge dives deep into personalities with engaging prompts such as “What’s your favorite Disney movie?” and “What are your pet peeves?” Members can like and comment on specific parts of a dating profile to get attention, or they can send a Rose to appear at the top of a person’s match list. Only mutual matches can engage in conversations on Hinge, but there are no limits or fees for chatting.
Hinge asks users for post-date feedback as a way of informing and improving its match algorithm. Since its launch in 2012, Hinge has evolved and offered a lot of quality matchmaking tools to relationship-minded singles.
My favorite Hinge success story is my own. I met my perfect match on Hinge in the summer of 2019. Within a week of chatting, we set up a date at a local coffee house. A week and four dates later, we agreed to be exclusive, and the week after that he met my parents. One pandemic later, we are happily married. He’s a mechanical engineer, and I’m a professional dating expert, so it’s hard to imagine our paths would’ve crossed if not for Hinge. Best dating app ever in my book!
10. Coffee Meets Bagel
Coffee Meets Bagel launched nearly a decade ago on a mission to improve online dating. Three sisters designed the dating app to put quality above quantity and encourage singles to consider each match carefully.
The CMB app sets limits on the number of profiles you can like in a day, and it also locks conversations after one week. Users can reopen them by spending 99 beans, which is the virtual currency on the app.
You don’t have to be a dating expert to find a compatible match on Coffee Meets Bagel. The algorithm does the choosing for you and promotes the most promising date candidates within a certain mile radius. The single person can look through these curated matches, which update daily, and send chat invites to anyone who catches their eye.
11. Bumble
Bumble is often called “the feminist dating app.” A savvy businesswoman named Whitney Wolfe Herd left an executive position at Tinder to launch a more female-friendly dating space. Bumble puts women first in every opposite-sex match. The app only allows a single man to message a woman if she has liked his dating profile and messaged him first.
In early 2020, Bumble surpassed 100 million users — a milestone that few online dating apps have reached. That same year, Bumble helped power social distancing dating through video chat and voice call.
The Bumble team also partnered with the White House to help vaccinated singles find one another online. The app has a Show Your Shot feature where Bumble users can confirm that they are vaccinated and receive a profile badge.
Ashley Madison
- Relationships: Hookups, Casual Dates, Affairs
- Match System: Search by age, location, appearance, and more
- Our Experts Say: With its massive user base and advanced privacy features, Ashley Madison is the #1 site for discreet hookups, dates, or relationships. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Not all single professionals are looking for long-term love. Some just want to get laid. Ashley Madison is a discreet dating app that appeals to privacy-conscious singles and attached daters. The network includes people who are in a relationship and interested in a little excitement on the side.
Online daters can stay anonymous on Ashley Madison thanks to its photo blurring and masking feature. Some people on the dating app are only looking for texting relationships, while others would like to enjoy a casual hookup on the down low. If you’d prefer to keep your dating life separate from your real life or professional reputation, then Ashley Madison is the ideal secret wingman to have in the dating scene.
What Is Considered “Educated?”
Educated people have studied hard in school and earned degrees that speak to their competency and curiosity. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person with a doctorate degree. Anyone pursuing higher education (aka any schooling beyond high school) could qualify as well-educated. The United States Census Bureau reported that approximately 42% of Americans over 25 have gotten their bachelor’s degree, so this is a fairly elite crowd.
Education isn’t just about earning degrees and titles. It’s about learning skills and gaining insight into how the world works. A person can fail to complete a degree yet still have all the markings of an educated person. The best example of this is Steve Jobs, who attended college classes yet never graduated.
In summary, everyone takes their own path through higher education. Whether you’ve done coursework at a trade school, a university, or community college, you are an educated person if you use that knowledge to propel your professional life forward.
How Do the Best Dating Sites for Educated Singles Actually Work?
I can sum up how online dating works in just four words: Join, search, match, and chat. Those are the essential actions that lead to relationships.
First, an online dater joins the network by completing a dating profile and submitting a photo. Then they search for compatible dates by swiping or setting personalized filters. A match occurs when two people like each other’s dating profile. And, finally, a dating platform should have some type of private messaging in place. Perhaps it even has video chat options or voicemail features.
Are Dating Sites for Educated Singles Really Safe?
It’s common knowledge that meeting people online isn’t exactly risk-free. But the top-rated online dating sites and apps have worked hard to eliminate the scams, fake profiles, and online harassment that can put users in jeopardy.
For example, a lot of dating apps have implemented a text verification step in the registration process. Some go a step further and verify profile details through LinkedIn, Facebook, or another social media platform. Photo checks can also add greater legitimacy to the swiping experience.
And, of course, online daters can take action to keep themselves safe. They can arrange a video date or phone call to vet potential love interests. Some background check services like Social Catfish specialize in researching online dates, and some dating services let you know if you have mutual friends.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get the truth from your online match. It’s just part of the game, and singles understand that you have to put your own safety first. I even know one single girl who asked to see a guy’s university transcripts and CV. He threw in his credit report for good measure, and they wound up going on a date.
If a person ever bothers you online, don’t hesitate to click the block button. Life’s too short to deal with jerks or creeps. And if you encounter any suspicious or threatening behavior, you should report that immediately to the online dating service.
How Do I Choose the Best Dating Site for Educated Singles?
Choosing a dating site or app is similar to choosing a college or university. Sometimes a lot of research and reasoning goes into your selection, and sometimes you go with the one that your friends and family members like the most. Whatever your decision-making process is, you have to consider where you fit and which goals you hope to accomplish.
The upside of online dating is you don’t have to stick with just one option. You can enroll in multiple dating platforms to up your odds of finding a compatible date — or even falling in love.
Our experts recommend creating a dating profile on at least three elite dating sites and investing time in the swiping and matchmaking process to get the best results.
Learn the Ropes & Master the Online Dating Scene
If you’ve learned anything from this article, I hope it’s that online dating has room for everyone — including educated singles. You don’t have to settle for dummies on Tinder or a casual dating site. A dating app for busy professionals or a dating site for college grads could make a world of difference when it comes to forming real relationships.
Our list includes many popular online dating options for singles who value education and prioritize success. And they all charge $0 for the basic membership.
You can elevate your love life and and meet respectable matches on the best dating sites for educated singles around the world. Best of luck!
