TinderU App Aims to Help College Students Find Friends, Partners

It is back-to-school season in the United States. Many young adults are headed to colleges and universities.

A new app might make their social lives as busy as their academic schedules.

The popular dating app Tinder has just launched TinderU. The tool is designed to help students find friends, study partners and, possibly, love.

On TinderU, users can look at pictures and information about other students at their university and other schools nearby. Just like on Tinder, if you see someone you think you might like, you swipe right to "match" with that person. If you are not interested, you swipe left to pass.

Only college students attending four-year schools can use TinderU. Online and for-profit colleges and universities are not included at this time. All that TinderU requires of users is a .edu email address.

Tinder launched in 2012 in Los Angeles, California. It is widely used around the world. The app is especially popular among people aged 18 to 34.

Some people argue TinderU will destroy traditional socializing on college campuses. And they say students do not need the app because they meet other students face-to-face each day.

But the experience of starting college can be overwhelming for some. Many students become independent for the first time in their lives when they go to college. They often do not know a single person in that new environment. Tinder supporters say the app can help users find like-minded people to talk to and, maybe, ask out on a date.

The Tinder website says Tinder is in 190 countries. It averages 1.6 billion matches a day and, reportedly, is responsible for one million dates each week.

I'm Caty Weaver.

Caty Weaver reported this story for VOA Learning English. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Ashley Thompson was the editor.

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Words in This Story

schedule - n. a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done

swipe - v. to move one's finger across a touchscreen to do a function

match - v. to be suited to (someone or something)

overwhelming - adj. used to describe something that is so confusing, difficult, etc., that you feel unable to do it

date - n. an occasion when two people who have or might have a romantic relationship do an activity together