In 2013, every university is on Twitter. Whether its to update students on campus announcements, cultivate an alumni network, host a virtual forum for its athletics fanbase or promote the school's brand, each university must decide on the function of their Twitter account. The best university Twitter accounts are unique, flexible, invaluable and, ultimately, shape the university's story. But how can we measure social media success?

To start, there are the numbers of followers. However, numbers like these can be skewed depending on a number of factors—how the big the school is, whether its account automatically follows back, etc.—and followers alone do not equal social media success. Created to solve just that particular problem, Klout, the social media analytics firm, measures social media influence through its formula. Using a combination of these metrics and our subjective appraisal, Education Dive ranked the 10 best university accounts on Twitter:

10. UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

On Twitter: @UofOklahoma

Followers: 40,723

Klout: 90

The University of Oklahoma's Twitter account tries to engage its fanbase, whether education- and athletics-specific, with universally friendly, Sooner-themed tweets. @UofOklahoma publicizes events, posts pictures of campus, retweets relevant information and wishes the Sooner nation happy days.

@uofoklahoma students: Are you a social innovator? If so, you should check out this social innovation challenge! bit.ly/sZLUqr — OU Sooners ( @UofOklahoma ) March 20, 2013

9. PURDUE UNIVERSITY

On Twitter: @LifeAtPurdue

Followers: 25,285

Klout: 90

Purdue University's official Twitter account prides itself on the Boilermaker experience. @LifeAtPurdue both nurtures school spirit and promotes the university's brand by announcing events, concerts, sports games and enthusiastically retweeting students' descriptions of life at the school.

The good news: today is the first day of spring! The bad news: it's crazy cold outside at Purdue. It's got to get warmer soon, right? #brr — Purdue University ( @LifeAtPurdue ) March 20, 2013

8. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

On Twitter: @TAMU

Followers: 68,588

Klout: 83

As the so-called #12thMan, @TAMU is Texas A&M's virtual cheerleader — but not just for its football team. The university's active and peppy Twitter team play Game of Thrones trivia with followers, announce ticket giveaways, drive social media campaigns and whoop "gig' em, Ags!"

Are you volunteering for @thebigeventtamu Saturday? Share your photos on Twitter & Instagram using #BigEvent! #tamu #bcstx — Texas A&M University ( @TAMU ) March 19, 2013

7. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

On Twitter: @UWMadison

Followers: 41,695

Klout: 83

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Twitter account simultaneously entertains school's rabid fanbase while providing a high degree of functionality for its students. @UWMadison actively cheers on the Badgers' sports teams, congratulates newly-admitted students, prompts follower interactions with its other social media operations on Pinterest and Instagram and facilitates the student experience by promoting campus and social media events:

Have questions about the UW app, #mobile and the future? @uwdoit experts have the answers! Just ask @edtech_highered with #edtech101. — UW-Madison (@UWMadison) March 20, 2013

6. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

On Twitter: @OhioState

Followers: 48,196

Klout: 90

The Ohio State University's Twitter account keeps students, faculty and alumni apprised of the school's goings-on. From student tips, daily photos and event promotions to alumni stories, faculty research and sports team notifications, @OhioState serves followers with the information they need and want.

A new way to talk about diversity? University leaders hold a forum tom. on future of diversity in higher ed: ow.ly/jgjDH #events — OhioState ( @OhioState ) March 20, 2013

5. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

On Twitter: @SyracuseU

Followers: 19,124

Klout: 91

Perhaps the most active Twitter account on this list, @SyracuseU typically bids followers, or #OrangeNation, both good morning and good night. Syracuse's handle tweets out campus updates, events and news, cheers on the school's athletic teams, dishes out pro-tips for students and interacts with zealous followers. Despite its relatively small followership compared with the other schools on this list, @SyracuseU's efficient and high-quality use of social media sets a standard other university communications teams should take note of.

Perks of getting that science degree: lasers. instagr.am/p/XFyj_2G3Zi/ — Syracuse University (@SyracuseU) March 20, 2013

4. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

On Twitter: @Princeton

Followers: 42,930

Klout: 94

@Princeton's tweets about its professors' innovative discoveries alone make this account worth following, but the account doesn't stop there. @Princeton dishes out resources that could come in handy to faculty, students and strangers — application materials, parking guides, professor profiles, campus updates and links spotlighting the work of some of the smartest, most interesting people on earth. It's not hard to see why Princeton's prestige is safe in this social media team's hands.

"Admission" the movie comes out this weekend. It's fiction. Here's our dean of admission on reality. youtube.com/watch?v=hWynWY… — Princeton University (@Princeton) March 20, 2013

3. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

On Twitter: @MITnews

Followers: 53,880

Klout: 95

MIT boasts some of the world's best scientists and mathematicians. Knowing its niche brand and audience, MIT's account tweets out the ideas, conclusions and projections of the world's most cutting edge researchers. If that's what you're interested in, @MITnews undoubtedly delivers.

2. STANFORD UNIVERSITY

On Twitter: @Stanford

Followers: 110,579

Klout: 93

As a brand, Stanford University shines through its tweets, which are essentially little virtual gateways into the school's incredible universe. Game-changing research reports, conversation-starting video clips and forward-looking analysis all embody the quality of both the institution and its Twitter account. Clicking on one of its links rarely disappoints.

Operate your car from your couch? Students present visions for the future of driving: stanford.io/105zwNW — Stanford University (@Stanford) March 18, 2013

1. HARVARD UNIVERSITY

On Twitter: @Harvard

Followers: 208,004

Klout: 98

Perennially atop the U.S. News & World Report's annual university rankings, Harvard and its Twitter account, @Harvard, boast the most Twitter followers (almost twice as many as Stanford, the account with the second-most) and the highest Klout score of any school. But big numbers and prestige alone don't make a great Twitter account.

Whether it's by live-tweeting Harvard's March Madness basketball game, sharing photos of its beautiful campus or spreading the word about a professor's groundbreaking research, @Harvard makes its tweets appeal to students, alumni, educators and the whole world at large. Simultaneously able to communicate with and expand its varied audience, @Harvard is the perfect social media hype man for the school's brand. That's why it's Education Dive's best university account on Twitter.

"The flipped classroom will redefine the role of educators." Interview with applied physics professor @eric_mazur - hvrd.me/WVeKSc — Harvard University (@Harvard) March 21, 2013

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