September 02, 11:00am EDT

Updated: Top Hat SMS submission is now available!

• The normal message “Use Top Hat or text [number] + your response to [phone number]” appears on presented questions.

• Students are able to add or change their phone number in Account Settings > Phone Number & SMS.

Original Alert: Top Hat’s SMS text message submission functionality is temporarily unavailable to students with US phone numbers due to new regulations around SMS messaging from application providers to users of digital services. 

We recommend that students either use the Top Hat mobile app or a desktop web browser while SMS submissions are unavailable. These are the most frequently used methods of response submission and will continue to work as expected. 

If you have questions about your eligibility as a currently enrolled VCU student for access to Top Hat, or if you are a current VCU faculty member teaching with Top Hat and have questions, please contact us by emailing us at tophat@vcu.edu.

During the time when SMS submissions are not available in Top Hat

• Presented questions in the US will show “SMS Text Message Submissions are Currently Unavailable."

• In Student Account Settings, the Phone Number & SMS tab will display the message, "Top Hat is experiencing an issue with our SMS service provider, which is preventing us from linking any US phone number to your account at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please check back here in the future to add or change your phone number."

When SMS submissions availability in Top Hat resumes:

• The normal message “Use Top Hat or text [number] + your response to [phone number]” will appear on presented questions.

• Students will be able to add or change their phone number in Account Settings > Phone Number & SMS.